As every investor would know, you don't hit a homerun every time you swing. But it should be a priority to avoid stomach churning catastrophes, wherever possible. It must have been painful to be a Local Bounti Corporation (NYSE:LOCL) shareholder over the last year, since the stock price plummeted 74% in that time. That'd be enough to make even the strongest stomachs churn. We wouldn't rush to judgement on Local Bounti because we don't have a long term history to look at. The falls have accelerated recently, with the share price down 33% in the last three months.

If the past week is anything to go by, investor sentiment for Local Bounti isn't positive, so let's see if there's a mismatch between fundamentals and the share price.

Check out our latest analysis for Local Bounti

Local Bounti 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.

In the last twelve months, Local Bounti increased its revenue by 3,483%. That's a strong result which is better than most other loss making companies. So the hefty 74% share price crash makes us think the company has somehow offended market participants. Something weird is definitely impacting the stock price; we'd venture the company has destroyed value somehow. We'd recommend taking a very close look at the stock (and any available forecasts), before considering a purchase, because the share price is not correlated with the revenue growth, that's for sure. Of course, investors do over-react when they are stressed out, so the sell-off could be unjustifiably severe.

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

It's probably worth noting we've seen significant insider buying in the last quarter, which we consider a positive. On the other hand, we think the revenue and earnings trends are much more meaningful measures of the business. You can see what analysts are predicting for Local Bounti in this interactive graph of future profit estimates.

A Different Perspective

We doubt Local Bounti shareholders are happy with the loss of 74% over twelve months. That falls short of the market, which lost 21%. That's disappointing, but it's worth keeping in mind that the market-wide selling wouldn't have helped. With the stock down 33% over the last three months, the market doesn't seem to believe that the company has solved all its problems. Basically, most investors should be wary of buying into a poor-performing stock, unless the business itself has clearly improved. While it is well worth considering the different impacts that market conditions can have on the share price, there are other factors that are even more important. Consider for instance, the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 2 warning signs with Local Bounti , and understanding them should be part of your investment process.

If you like to buy stocks alongside management, then you might just love this free list of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them).

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

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.
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.