Did You Manage To Avoid Exela Technologies's (NASDAQ:XELA) Devastating 94% Share Price Drop?

It's not a secret that every investor will make bad investments, from time to time. But it should be a priority to avoid stomach churning catastrophes, wherever possible. So spare a thought for the long term shareholders of Exela Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:XELA); the share price is down a whopping 94% in the last twelve months. That'd be enough to make even the strongest stomachs churn. Because Exela Technologies hasn't been listed for many years, the market is still learning about how the business performs. The falls have accelerated recently, with the share price down 72% in the last three months. This could be related to the recent financial results - you can catch up on the most recent data by reading our company report.

While a drop like that is definitely a body blow, money isn't as important as health and happiness.

Check out our latest analysis for Exela Technologies

Exela Technologies isn't a profitable company, so it is unlikely we'll see a strong correlation between its share price and its earnings per share (EPS). Arguably revenue is our next best option. Shareholders of unprofitable companies usually expect strong revenue growth. As you can imagine, fast revenue growth, when maintained, often leads to fast profit growth.

Exela Technologies's revenue didn't grow at all in the last year. In fact, it fell 0.4%. That looks pretty grim, at a glance. The share price fall of 94% in a year tells the story. Holders should not lose the lesson: loss making companies should grow revenue. But markets do over-react, so there opportunity for investors who are willing to take the time to dig deeper and understand the business.

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

We like that insiders have been buying shares in the last twelve months. Having said that, most people consider earnings and revenue growth trends to be a more meaningful guide to the business. This free report showing analyst forecasts should help you form a view on Exela Technologies

A Different Perspective

Given that the market gained 15% in the last year, Exela Technologies shareholders might be miffed that they lost 94%. While the aim is to do better than that, it's worth recalling that even great long-term investments sometimes underperform for a year or more. The share price decline has continued throughout the most recent three months, down 72%, suggesting an absence of enthusiasm from investors. Given the relatively short history of this stock, we'd remain pretty wary until we see some strong business performance. Investors who like to make money usually check up on insider purchases, such as the price paid, and total amount bought. You can find out about the insider purchases of Exela Technologies by clicking this link.

Exela Technologies is not the only stock insiders are buying. So take a peek at this free list of growing companies with insider buying.

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

We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.