By buying an index fund, you can roughly match the market return with ease. But many of us dare to dream of bigger returns, and build a portfolio ourselves. Just take a look at Aspen Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:AZPN), which is up 91%, over three years, soundly beating the market return of 18% (not including dividends). On the other hand, the returns haven't been quite so good recently, with shareholders up just 16%.

Now it's worth having a look at the company's fundamentals too, because that will help us determine if the long term shareholder return has matched the performance of the underlying business.

View our latest analysis for Aspen Technology

Because Aspen Technology 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. When a company doesn't make profits, we'd generally hope to see good revenue growth. That's because fast revenue growth can be easily extrapolated to forecast profits, often of considerable size.

Aspen Technology's revenue trended up 46% each year over three years. That's much better than most loss-making companies. The share price rise of 24% per year throughout that time is nice to see, and given the revenue growth, that gain seems somewhat justified. If that's the case, now might be the time to take a close look at Aspen Technology. A window of opportunity may reveal itself with time, if the business can trend to profitability.

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

We're pleased to report that the CEO is remunerated more modestly than most CEOs at similarly capitalized companies. But while CEO remuneration is always worth checking, the really important question is whether the company can grow earnings going forward. So it makes a lot of sense to check out what analysts think Aspen Technology will earn in the future (free profit forecasts).

A Different Perspective

Aspen Technology shareholders gained a total return of 16% during the year. But that was short of the market average. On the bright side, that's still a gain, and it's actually better than the average return of 13% over half a decade This could indicate that the company is winning over new investors, as it pursues its strategy. Before spending more time on Aspen Technology it might be wise to click here to see if insiders have been buying or selling shares.

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.

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

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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.