Long term investing works well, but it doesn't always work for each individual stock. It hits us in the gut when we see fellow investors suffer a loss. For example, we sympathize with anyone who was caught holding Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CCO) during the five years that saw its share price drop a whopping 70%. The last week also saw the share price slip down another 6.3%.

With the stock having lost 6.3% in the past week, it's worth taking a look at business performance and seeing if there's any red flags.

Given that Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings didn't make a profit in the last twelve months, we'll focus on revenue growth to form a quick view of its business development. 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 five years Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings saw its revenue shrink by 3.5% per year. That's not what investors generally want to see. If a business loses money, you want it to grow, so no surprises that the share price has dropped 11% each year in that time. It takes a certain kind of mental fortitude (or recklessness) to buy shares in a company that loses money and doesn't grow revenue. That is not really what the successful investors we know aim for.

You can see below how earnings and revenue have changed over time (discover 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 Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings

A Different Perspective

It's good to see that Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings has rewarded shareholders with a total shareholder return of 50% in the last twelve months. Notably the five-year annualised TSR loss of 11% per year compares very unfavourably with the recent share price performance. We generally put more weight on the long term performance over the short term, but the recent improvement could hint at a (positive) inflection point within the business. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings better, we need to consider many other factors. For instance, we've identified 2 warning signs for Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings (1 is potentially serious) that you should be aware of.

Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings is not the only stock that insiders are buying. 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.

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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.