Every investor on earth makes bad calls sometimes. But you have a problem if you face massive losses more than once in a while. So take a moment to sympathize with the long term shareholders of HTG Molecular Diagnostics, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTGM), who have seen the share price tank a massive 90% over a three year period. That would certainly shake our confidence in the decision to own the stock. Even worse, it's down 8.5% in about a month, which isn't fun at all. However, we note the price may have been impacted by the broader market, which is down 4.8% in the same time period. We really feel for shareholders in this scenario. It's a good reminder of the importance of diversification, and it's worth keeping in mind there's more to life than money, anyway.

Now let's have a look at the company's fundamentals, and see if the long term shareholder return has matched the performance of the underlying business.

See our latest analysis for HTG Molecular Diagnostics

Given that HTG Molecular Diagnostics 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. Generally speaking, companies without profits are expected to grow revenue every year, and at a good clip. 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 three years HTG Molecular Diagnostics saw its revenue shrink by 33% per year. That means its revenue trend is very weak compared to other loss making companies. And as you might expect the share price has been weak too, dropping at a rate of 24% per year. We prefer leave it to clowns to try to catch falling knives, like this stock. It's worth remembering that investors call buying a steeply falling share price 'catching a falling knife' because it is a dangerous pass time.

The company's revenue and earnings (over time) are depicted in the image below (click to see the exact numbers).

You can see how its balance sheet has strengthened (or weakened) over time in this free interactive graphic.

A Different Perspective

HTG Molecular Diagnostics' TSR for the year was broadly in line with the market average, at 29%. The silver lining is that the share price is up in the short term, which flies in the face of the annualised loss of 13% over the last five years. We're pretty skeptical of turnaround stories, but it's good to see the recent share price recovery. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand HTG Molecular Diagnostics better, we need to consider many other factors. Consider risks, for instance. Every company has them, and we've spotted 3 warning signs for HTG Molecular Diagnostics you should know about.

But note: HTG Molecular Diagnostics may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with past earnings growth (and further growth forecast).

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

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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