Sema4 Holdings Corp. (NASDAQ:SMFR) shareholders should be happy to see the share price up 29% in the last month. But that is meagre solace when you consider how the price has plummeted over the last year. During that time the share price has plummeted like a stone, down 86%. It's not uncommon to see a bounce after a drop like that. Only time will tell if the company can sustain the turnaround. 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.
It's worthwhile assessing if the company's economics have been moving in lockstep with these underwhelming shareholder returns, or if there is some disparity between the two. So let's do just that.
See our latest analysis for Sema4 Holdings
Because Sema4 Holdings 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. Generally speaking, companies without profits are expected to grow revenue every year, and at a good clip. That's because fast revenue growth can be easily extrapolated to forecast profits, often of considerable size.
Sema4 Holdings grew its revenue by 2.6% over the last year. That's not a very high growth rate considering it doesn't make profits. Even so you could argue that it's surprising that the share price has tanked 86%. Clearly the market was expecting better, and this may blow out projections of profitability. If and only if this company is still likely to succeed, just a little slower, this could be a good opportunity.
The company's revenue and earnings (over time) are depicted in the image below (click to see the exact numbers).
It's good to see that there was some significant insider buying in the last three months. That's a positive. That said, we think earnings and revenue growth trends are even more important factors to consider. If you are thinking of buying or selling Sema4 Holdings stock, you should check out this free report showing analyst profit forecasts.
A Different Perspective
We doubt Sema4 Holdings shareholders are happy with the loss of 86% over twelve months. That falls short of the market, which lost 11%. That's disappointing, but it's worth keeping in mind that the market-wide selling wouldn't have helped. With the stock down 25% over the last three months, the market doesn't seem to believe that the company has solved all its problems. Given the relatively short history of this stock, we'd remain pretty wary until we see some strong business performance. While it is well worth considering the different impacts that market conditions can have on the share price, there are other factors that are even more important. Take risks, for example - Sema4 Holdings has 3 warning signs (and 2 which are significant) we think you should know about.