Generally speaking long term investing is the way to go. But unfortunately, some companies simply don't succeed. For example the JetBlue Airways Corporation (NASDAQ:JBLU) share price dropped 63% over five years. That's not a lot of fun for true believers.

Now let's have a look at the company's fundamentals, and see if the long term shareholder return has matched the performance of the underlying business.

Check out our latest analysis for JetBlue Airways

Given that JetBlue Airways 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 fast revenue growth can be easily extrapolated to forecast profits, often of considerable size.

Over five years, JetBlue Airways grew its revenue at 13% per year. That's a fairly respectable growth rate. The share price return isn't so respectable with an annual loss of 10% over the period. That suggests the market is disappointed with the current growth rate. A pessimistic market can create opportunities.

You can see how earnings and revenue have changed over time in the image below (click on the chart to see the exact values).

We like that insiders have been buying shares in the last twelve months. Even so, future earnings will be far more important to whether current shareholders make money. This free report showing analyst forecasts should help you form a view on JetBlue Airways

A Different Perspective

It's nice to see that JetBlue Airways shareholders have received a total shareholder return of 53% over the last year. There's no doubt those recent returns are much better than the TSR loss of 10% per year over five years. This makes us a little wary, but the business might have turned around its fortunes. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand JetBlue Airways better, we need to consider many other factors. Consider for instance, the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 1 warning sign with JetBlue Airways , and understanding them should be part of your investment process.

JetBlue Airways 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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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.