If you want to compound wealth in the stock market, you can do so by buying an index fund. But one can do better than that by picking better than average stocks (as part of a diversified portfolio). For example, the PROS Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:PRO) share price is up 43% in the last 1 year, clearly besting the market return of around 25% (not including dividends). So that should have shareholders smiling. Unfortunately the longer term returns are not so good, with the stock falling 14% in the last three years.

Since the stock has added US$64m to its market cap in the past week alone, let's see if underlying performance has been driving long-term returns.

PROS Holdings isn't currently profitable, so most analysts would look to revenue growth to get an idea of how fast the underlying business is growing. Shareholders of unprofitable companies usually desire strong revenue growth. Some companies are willing to postpone profitability to grow revenue faster, but in that case one would hope for good top-line growth to make up for the lack of earnings.

PROS Holdings grew its revenue by 10.0% last year. That's not great considering the company is losing money. The modest growth is probably largely reflected in the share price, which is up 43%. That's not a standout result, but it is solid - much like the level of revenue growth. Given the market doesn't seem too excited about the stock, a closer look at the financial data could pay off, if you can find indications of a stronger growth trend in the future.

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

PROS Holdings is a well known stock, with plenty of analyst coverage, suggesting some visibility into future growth. So it makes a lot of sense to check out what analysts think PROS Holdings will earn in the future (free analyst consensus estimates)

A Different Perspective

It's nice to see that PROS Holdings shareholders have received a total shareholder return of 43% over the last year. That certainly beats the loss of about 2% per year over the last half decade. The long term loss makes us cautious, but the short term TSR gain certainly hints at a brighter future. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand PROS Holdings better, we need to consider many other factors. For instance, we've identified 2 warning signs for PROS Holdings (1 doesn't sit too well with us) that you should be aware of.

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 American exchanges.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.
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.