Passive investing in index funds can generate returns that roughly match the overall market. But investors can boost returns by picking market-beating companies to own shares in. To wit, the CentralNic Group Plc (LON:CNIC) share price is 71% higher than it was a year ago, much better than the market decline of around 14% (not including dividends) in the same period. If it can keep that out-performance up over the long term, investors will do very well! And shareholders have also done well over the long term, with an increase of 30% in the last three years.

See our latest analysis for CentralNic Group

CentralNic 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. 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 year CentralNic Group saw its revenue grow by 89%. That's well above most other pre-profit companies. While the share price gain of 71% over twelve months is pretty tasty, you might argue it doesn't fully reflect the strong revenue growth. So quite frankly it could be a good time to investigate CentralNic Group in some detail. Since we evolved from monkeys, we think in linear terms by nature. So if growth goes exponential, opportunity may exist for the enlightened.

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

Take a more thorough look at CentralNic Group's financial health with this free report on its balance sheet.

A Different Perspective

It's good to see that CentralNic Group has rewarded shareholders with a total shareholder return of 71% in the last twelve months. That gain is better than the annual TSR over five years, which is 5.4%. 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 CentralNic Group better, we need to consider many other factors. Consider risks, for instance. Every company has them, and we've spotted 1 warning sign for CentralNic Group you should know about.

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 GB exchanges.

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. 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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