Uber Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:UBER) shareholders will doubtless be very grateful to see the share price up 46% in the last quarter. But that doesn't change the fact that the returns over the last year have trailed the market. Specifically, the stock returned 20% whereas the market is down , having returned (-20%) over the last year.

Now let's have a look at the company's fundamentals, and see if the long term shareholder return has matched the performance of the underlying business.

View our latest analysis for Uber Technologies

Uber Technologies isn't currently profitable, so most analysts would look to revenue growth to get an idea of how fast the underlying business is growing. Generally speaking, companies without profits are expected to grow revenue every year, and at a good clip. 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 Uber Technologies saw its revenue grow by 99%. That's a strong result which is better than most other loss making companies. Given the revenue growth, the share price drop of 20% seems quite harsh. Our sympathies to shareholders who are now underwater. On the bright side, if this company is moving profits in the right direction, top-line growth like that could be an opportunity. Our brains have evolved to think in linear fashion, so there's value in learning to recognize exponential growth. We are, in some ways, simply the wisest of the monkeys.

The graphic below depicts how earnings and revenue have changed over time (unveil the exact values by clicking on the image).

We consider it positive that insiders have made significant purchases in the last year. Having said that, most people consider earnings and revenue growth trends to be a more meaningful guide to the business. This free report showing analyst forecasts should help you form a view on Uber Technologies

A Different Perspective

The last twelve months weren't great for Uber Technologies shares, which performed worse than the market, costing holders 20%. The market shed around 17%, no doubt weighing on the stock price. The three-year loss of 0.7% per year isn't as bad as the last twelve months, suggesting that the company has not been able to convince the market it has solved its problems. Although Baron Rothschild famously said to "buy when there's blood in the streets, even if the blood is your own", he also focusses on high quality stocks with solid prospects. 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. Consider for instance, the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 2 warning signs with Uber Technologies , and understanding them should be part of your investment process.