When you buy shares in a company, there is always a risk that the price drops to zero. But when you pick a company that is really flourishing, you can make more than 100%. For example, the Hazer Group Limited (ASX:HZR) share price had more than doubled in just one year - up 108%. It's also good to see the share price up 33% over the last quarter. The company reported its financial results recently; you can catch up on the latest numbers by reading our company report. Zooming out, the stock is actually down 10.0% in the last three years.

View our latest analysis for Hazer Group

Hazer Group wasn't profitable in the last twelve months, 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. When a company doesn't make profits, we'd generally expect to see good revenue growth. As you can imagine, fast revenue growth, when maintained, often leads to fast profit growth.

In the last year Hazer Group saw its revenue grow by 117%. That's stonking growth even when compared to other loss-making stocks. Meanwhile, the market has paid attention, sending the share price soaring 108% in response. It's great to see strong revenue growth, but the question is whether it can be sustained. The strong share price rise indicates optimism, so there may be a better opportunity for buyers as the hype fades a bit.

You can see below how earnings and revenue have changed over time (discover the exact values by clicking on the image).

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

A Different Perspective

We're pleased to report that Hazer Group rewarded shareholders with a total shareholder return of 108% over the last year. This recent result is much better than the 3.5% drop suffered by shareholders each year (on average) over the last three. It could well be that the business has turned around -- or else regained the confidence of investors. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand Hazer Group better, we need to consider many other factors. Consider for instance, the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 6 warning signs with Hazer Group (at least 1 which makes us a bit uncomfortable) , and understanding them should be part of your investment process.

Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of companies we expect will grow earnings.