Long term investing works well, but it doesn't always work for each individual stock. We don't wish catastrophic capital loss on anyone. Anyone who held ProQR Therapeutics N.V. (NASDAQ:PRQR) for five years would be nursing their metaphorical wounds since the share price dropped 83% in that time. More recently, the share price has dropped a further 10.0% in a month. We really hope anyone holding through that price crash has a diversified portfolio. Even when you lose money, you don't have to lose the lesson.

Since shareholders are down over the longer term, lets look at the underlying fundamentals over the that time and see if they've been consistent with returns.

Check out our latest analysis for ProQR Therapeutics

ProQR Therapeutics 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.

Over five years, ProQR Therapeutics grew its revenue at 9.1% per year. That's a pretty good rate for a long time period. So it is unexpected to see the stock down 13% per year in the last five years. The market can be a harsh master when your company is losing money and revenue growth disappoints.

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

If you are thinking of buying or selling ProQR Therapeutics stock, you should check out this FREE detailed report on its balance sheet.

A Different Perspective

ProQR Therapeutics provided a TSR of 3.1% over the last twelve months. But that was short of the market average. On the bright side, that's still a gain, and it is certainly better than the yearly loss of about 13% endured over half a decade. It could well be that the business is stabilizing. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand ProQR Therapeutics better, we need to consider many other factors. For instance, we've identified 2 warning signs for ProQR Therapeutics (1 is concerning) that you should be aware of.

Of course ProQR Therapeutics may not be the best stock to buy. So you may wish to see this free collection of growth stocks.

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.