When you buy and hold a stock for the long term, you definitely want it to provide a positive return. But more than that, you probably want to see it rise more than the market average. Unfortunately for shareholders, while the Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:NBIX) share price is up 61% in the last five years, that's less than the market return. Some buyers are laughing, though, with an increase of 43% in the last year.

The past week has proven to be lucrative for Neurocrine Biosciences investors, so let's see if fundamentals drove the company's five-year performance.

In his essay The Superinvestors of Graham-and-Doddsville Warren Buffett described how share prices do not always rationally reflect the value of a business. One flawed but reasonable way to assess how sentiment around a company has changed is to compare the earnings per share (EPS) with the share price.

During the five years of share price growth, Neurocrine Biosciences moved from a loss to profitability. That would generally be considered a positive, so we'd hope to see the share price to rise.

You can see how EPS has changed over time in the image below (click on the chart to see the exact values).

We know that Neurocrine Biosciences has improved its bottom line lately, but is it going to grow revenue? Check if analysts think Neurocrine Biosciences will grow revenue in the future.

A Different Perspective

We're pleased to report that Neurocrine Biosciences shareholders have received a total shareholder return of 43% over one year. Since the one-year TSR is better than the five-year TSR (the latter coming in at 10% per year), it would seem that the stock's performance has improved in recent times. Given the share price momentum remains strong, it might be worth taking a closer look at the stock, lest you miss an opportunity. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand Neurocrine Biosciences better, we need to consider many other factors. To that end, you should be aware of the 1 warning sign we've spotted with Neurocrine Biosciences .

Of course Neurocrine Biosciences 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.

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