It is doubtless a positive to see that the Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc. (NYSE:HLX) share price has gained some 38% in the last three months. But that is small recompense for the exasperating returns over three years. Regrettably, the share price slid 51% in that period. Some might say the recent bounce is to be expected after such a bad drop. Perhaps the company has turned over a new leaf.

After losing 7.6% this past week, it's worth investigating the company's fundamentals to see what we can infer from past performance.

View our latest analysis for Helix Energy Solutions Group

Helix Energy Solutions Group 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. When a company doesn't make profits, we'd generally expect to see good revenue growth. That's because fast revenue growth can be easily extrapolated to forecast profits, often of considerable size.

Over the last three years, Helix Energy Solutions Group's revenue dropped 5.1% per year. That is not a good result. The share price decline of 15% compound, over three years, is understandable given the company doesn't have profits to boast of, and revenue is moving in the wrong direction. Having said that, if growth is coming in the future, now may be the low ebb for the company. We'd be pretty wary of this one until it makes a profit, because we don't specialize in finding turnaround situations.

The image below shows how earnings and revenue have tracked over time (if you click on the image you can see greater detail).

If you are thinking of buying or selling Helix Energy Solutions Group stock, you should check out this FREE detailed report on its balance sheet.

A Different Perspective

We're pleased to report that Helix Energy Solutions Group shareholders have received a total shareholder return of 19% over one year. That certainly beats the loss of about 7% per year over the last half decade. We generally put more weight on the long term performance over the short term, but the recent improvement could hint at a (positive) inflection point within the business. I find it very interesting to look at share price over the long term as a proxy for business performance. But to truly gain insight, we need to consider other information, too. Consider risks, for instance. Every company has them, and we've spotted 1 warning sign for Helix Energy Solutions Group you should know about.

We will like Helix Energy Solutions Group better if we see some big insider buys. While we wait, check out this free list of growing companies with considerable, recent, insider buying.

Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on US 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.