Patterson-UTI Energy (NASDAQ:PTEN) Share Prices Have Dropped 59% In The Last Three Years

Patterson-UTI Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ:PTEN) shareholders will doubtless be very grateful to see the share price up 54% in the last quarter. But that doesn’t change the fact that the returns over the last three years have been disappointing. Regrettably, the share price slid 59% in that period. So it is really good to see an improvement. Perhaps the company has turned over a new leaf.

Check out our latest analysis for Patterson-UTI Energy

Because Patterson-UTI Energy made a loss in the last twelve months, we think the market is probably more focussed on revenue and revenue growth, at least for now. 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 the last three years, Patterson-UTI Energy’s revenue dropped 22% per year. That’s definitely a weaker result than most pre-profit companies report. Arguably, the market has responded appropriately to this business performance by sending the share price down 17% (annualized) in the same time period. When revenue is dropping, and losses are still costing, and the share price sinking fast, it’s fair to ask if something is remiss. It could be a while before the company repays long suffering shareholders with share price gains.

You can see below how earnings and revenue have changed over time (discover the exact values by clicking on the image).

earnings-and-revenue-growth

We consider it positive that insiders have made significant purchases in the last year. Having said that, most people consider earnings and revenue growth trends to be a more meaningful guide to the business. So we recommend checking out this free report showing consensus forecasts

A Different Perspective

Patterson-UTI Energy provided a TSR of 27% over the last twelve months. But that return falls short of the market. But at least that’s still a gain! Over five years the TSR has been a reduction of 9% per year, over five years. It could well be that the business is stabilizing. 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. To that end, you should be aware of the 2 warning signs we’ve spotted with Patterson-UTI Energy .

Story continues

There are plenty of other companies that have insiders buying up shares. You probably do not want to miss this free list of growing companies that insiders are 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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