EngageSmart, Inc. (NYSE:ESMT) shareholders should be happy to see the share price up 11% in the last quarter. But that doesn't change the fact that the returns over the last year have been less than pleasing. The cold reality is that the stock has dropped 45% in one year, under-performing the market.
With the stock having lost 7.9% in the past week, it's worth taking a look at business performance and seeing if there's any red flags.
View our latest analysis for EngageSmart
Because EngageSmart made a loss in the last twelve months, we think the market is probably more focussed on revenue and revenue growth, at least for now. 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 twelve months, EngageSmart increased its revenue by 41%. That's definitely a respectable growth rate. Unfortunately that wasn't good enough to stop the share price dropping 45%. You might even wonder if the share price was previously over-hyped. But if revenue keeps growing, then at a certain point the share price would likely follow.
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're pleased to report that the CEO is remunerated more modestly than most CEOs at similarly capitalized companies. It's always worth keeping an eye on CEO pay, but a more important question is whether the company will grow earnings throughout the years. This free report showing analyst forecasts should help you form a view on EngageSmart
A Different Perspective
We doubt EngageSmart shareholders are happy with the loss of 45% over twelve months. That falls short of the market, which lost 20%. There's no doubt that's a disappointment, but the stock may well have fared better in a stronger market. Putting aside the last twelve months, it's good to see the share price has rebounded by 11%, in the last ninety days. This could just be a bounce because the selling was too aggressive, but fingers crossed it's the start of a new trend. Before spending more time on EngageSmart it might be wise to click here to see if insiders have been buying or selling shares.
We will like EngageSmart better if we see some big insider buys. While we wait, check out this free list of growing companies with considerable, recent, 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.