While it may not be enough for some shareholders, we think it is good to see the Lyft, Inc. (NASDAQ:LYFT) share price up 13% in a single quarter. But that can't change the reality that over the longer term (five years), the returns have been really quite dismal. The share price has failed to impress anyone , down a sizable 54% during that time. So we're hesitant to put much weight behind the short term increase. We'd err towards caution given the long term under-performance.

After losing 5.5% this past week, it's worth investigating the company's fundamentals to see what we can infer from past performance.

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We don't think that Lyft's modest trailing twelve month profit has the market's full attention at the moment. We think revenue is probably a better guide. As a general rule, we think this kind of company is more comparable to loss-making stocks, since the actual profit is so low. For shareholders to have confidence a company will grow profits significantly, it must grow revenue.

Over five years, Lyft grew its revenue at 16% per year. That's better than most loss-making companies. Unfortunately for shareholders the share price has dropped 9% per year - disappointing considering the growth. It's safe to say investor expectations are more grounded now. If you think the company can keep up its revenue growth, you'd have to consider the possibility that there's an opportunity here.

The company's revenue and earnings (over time) are depicted in the image below (click to see the exact numbers).

We like that insiders have been buying shares in the last twelve months. Having said that, most people consider earnings and revenue growth trends to be a more meaningful guide to the business. So it makes a lot of sense to check out what analysts think Lyft will earn in the future (free profit forecasts).

A Different Perspective

Lyft shareholders have received returns of 18% over twelve months, which isn't far from the general market return. The silver lining is that the share price is up in the short term, which flies in the face of the annualised loss of 9% over the last five years. While 'turnarounds seldom turn' there are green shoots for Lyft. If you want to research this stock further, the data on insider buying is an obvious place to start. You can click here to see who has been buying shares - and the price they paid.

Lyft is not the only stock insiders are buying. So take a peek at this free list of small cap companies at attractive valuations which insiders have been buying.

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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