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If You Had Bought FFBW's (NASDAQ:FFBW) Shares Three Years Ago You Would Be Down 19%

For many investors, the main point of stock picking is to generate higher returns than the overall market. But if you try your hand at stock picking, your risk returning less than the market. We regret to report that long term FFBW, Inc. (NASDAQ:FFBW) shareholders have had that experience, with the share price dropping 19% in three years, versus a market return of about 41%.

View our latest analysis for FFBW

There is no denying that markets are sometimes efficient, but prices do not always reflect underlying business performance. One imperfect but simple way to consider how the market perception of a company has shifted is to compare the change in the earnings per share (EPS) with the share price movement.

During five years of share price growth, FFBW moved from a loss to profitability. We would usually expect to see the share price rise as a result. So it's worth looking at other metrics to try to understand the share price move.

Revenue is actually up 10.0% over the three years, so the share price drop doesn't seem to hinge on revenue, either. It's probably worth investigating FFBW further; while we may be missing something on this analysis, there might also be an opportunity.

The graphic below depicts how earnings and revenue have changed over time (unveil the exact values by clicking on the image).

earnings-and-revenue-growth
earnings-and-revenue-growth

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. It might be well worthwhile taking a look at our free report on FFBW's earnings, revenue and cash flow.

A Different Perspective

Over the last year, FFBW shareholders took a loss of 18%. In contrast the market gained about 18%. However, keep in mind that even the best stocks will sometimes underperform the market over a twelve month period. Shareholders have lost 6% per year over the last three years, so the share price drop has become steeper, over the last year; a potential symptom of as yet unsolved challenges. We would be wary of buying into a company with unsolved problems, although some investors will buy into struggling stocks if they believe the price is sufficiently attractive. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand FFBW better, we need to consider many other factors. Take risks, for example - FFBW has 2 warning signs we think you should be aware of.

FFBW is not the only stock insiders are buying. So take a peek at this free list of growing companies with 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.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. 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.

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