Investing in stocks inevitably means buying into some companies that perform poorly. But long term OneSpan Inc. (NASDAQ:OSPN) shareholders have had a particularly rough ride in the last three year. Regrettably, they have had to cope with a 64% drop in the share price over that period. Shareholders have had an even rougher run lately, with the share price down 36% in the last 90 days.

Since OneSpan has shed US$64m from its value in the past 7 days, let's see if the longer term decline has been driven by the business' economics.

See our latest analysis for OneSpan

OneSpan wasn't profitable in the last twelve months, it is unlikely we'll see a strong correlation between its share price and its earnings per share (EPS). Arguably revenue is our next best option. Generally speaking, companies without profits are expected to grow revenue every year, and at a good clip. As you can imagine, fast revenue growth, when maintained, often leads to fast profit growth.

In the last three years OneSpan saw its revenue shrink by 1.8% per year. That's not what investors generally want to see. With revenue in decline, and profit but a dream, we can understand why the share price has been declining at 18% per year. Having said that, if growth is coming in the future, now may be the low ebb for the company. We don't generally like to own companies that lose money and can't grow revenues. But any company is worth looking at when it makes a maiden profit.

You can see below how earnings and revenue have changed over time (discover the exact values by clicking on the image).

This free interactive report on OneSpan's balance sheet strength is a great place to start, if you want to investigate the stock further.

A Different Perspective

OneSpan shareholders are up 3.9% for the year. 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 8% endured over half a decade. So this might be a sign the business has turned its fortunes around. If you would like to research OneSpan in more detail then you might want to take a look at whether insiders have been buying or selling shares in the company.

Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of companies we expect will grow earnings.

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.