The worst result, after buying shares in a company (assuming no leverage), would be if you lose all the money you put in. But if you buy shares in a really great company, you can more than double your money. For instance the Eton Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:ETON) share price is 177% higher than it was three years ago. Most would be happy with that. Also pleasing for shareholders was the 53% gain in the last three months.

So let's investigate and see if the longer term performance of the company has been in line with the underlying business' progress.

See our latest analysis for Eton Pharmaceuticals

Eton Pharmaceuticals 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 fast revenue growth can be easily extrapolated to forecast profits, often of considerable size.

Over the last three years Eton Pharmaceuticals has grown its revenue at 29% annually. That's much better than most loss-making companies. Meanwhile, the share price performance has been pretty solid at 41% compound over three years. But it does seem like the market is paying attention to strong revenue growth. Nonetheless, we'd say Eton Pharmaceuticals is still worth investigating - successful businesses can often keep growing for long periods.

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

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

A Different Perspective

We're pleased to report that Eton Pharmaceuticals shareholders have received a total shareholder return of 147% over one year. That's better than the annualised return of 10% over half a decade, implying that the company is doing better recently. Someone with an optimistic perspective could view the recent improvement in TSR as indicating that the business itself is getting better with time. You might want to assess this data-rich visualization of its earnings, revenue and cash flow.

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.