Investors in Streamline Health Solutions (NASDAQ:STRM) have made a notable return of 64% over the past three years

One simple way to benefit from the stock market is to buy an index fund. But if you pick the right individual stocks, you could make more than that. Just take a look at Streamline Health Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRM), which is up 64%, over three years, soundly beating the market return of 25% (not including dividends). On the other hand, the returns haven't been quite so good recently, with shareholders up just 25%.

With that in mind, it's worth seeing if the company's underlying fundamentals have been the driver of long term performance, or if there are some discrepancies.

See our latest analysis for Streamline Health Solutions

Given that Streamline Health Solutions didn't make a profit in the last twelve months, we'll focus on revenue growth to form a quick view of its business development. Shareholders of unprofitable companies usually expect strong revenue growth. That's because it's hard to be confident a company will be sustainable if revenue growth is negligible, and it never makes a profit.

In the last 3 years Streamline Health Solutions saw its revenue grow at 15% per year. That's a very respectable growth rate. While the share price has done well, compounding at 18% yearly, over three years, that move doesn't seem over the top. If that's the case, then it could be well worth while to research the growth trajectory. Of course, it's always worth considering funding risks when a company isn't profitable.

You can see how earnings and revenue have changed over time in the image below (click on the chart to see the exact values).

It's probably worth noting we've seen significant insider buying in the last quarter, which we consider a positive. On the other hand, we think the revenue and earnings trends are much more meaningful measures of the business. So it makes a lot of sense to check out what analysts think Streamline Health Solutions will earn in the future (free profit forecasts).

A Different Perspective

It's good to see that Streamline Health Solutions has rewarded shareholders with a total shareholder return of 25% in the last twelve months. That gain is better than the annual TSR over five years, which is 9%. Therefore it seems like sentiment around the company has been positive lately. Someone with an optimistic perspective could view the recent improvement in TSR as indicating that the business itself is getting better with time. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand Streamline Health Solutions better, we need to consider many other factors. Like risks, for instance. Every company has them, and we've spotted 3 warning signs for Streamline Health Solutions (of which 1 shouldn't be ignored!) you should know about.

Streamline Health Solutions is not the only stock that insiders are buying. For those who like to find winning investments this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket.

Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on US exchanges.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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