It is doubtless a positive to see that the Regis Resources Limited (ASX:RRL) share price has gained some 51% in the last three months. But that doesn't change the fact that the returns over the last five years have been less than pleasing. After all, the share price is down 46% in that time, significantly under-performing the market.

Since shareholders are down over the longer term, lets look at the underlying fundamentals over the that time and see if they've been consistent with returns.

See our latest analysis for Regis Resources

Regis Resources 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 it's hard to be confident a company will be sustainable if revenue growth is negligible, and it never makes a profit.

In the last half decade, Regis Resources saw its revenue increase by 13% per year. That's a pretty good rate for a long time period. Shareholders have seen the share price fall at 8% per year, for five years: a poor performance. Clearly, the expectations from back then have not been satisfied. There is always a big risk of losing money yourself when you buy shares in a company that loses money.

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

Regis Resources is a well known stock, with plenty of analyst coverage, suggesting some visibility into future growth. So we recommend checking out this free report showing consensus forecasts

What About The Total Shareholder Return (TSR)?

Investors should note that there's a difference between Regis Resources' total shareholder return (TSR) and its share price change, which we've covered above. The TSR attempts to capture the value of dividends (as if they were reinvested) as well as any spin-offs or discounted capital raisings offered to shareholders. Its history of dividend payouts mean that Regis Resources' TSR, which was a 40% drop over the last 5 years, was not as bad as the share price return.

A Different Perspective

It's good to see that Regis Resources has rewarded shareholders with a total shareholder return of 39% in the last twelve months. There's no doubt those recent returns are much better than the TSR loss of 7% per year over five years. 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. Most investors take the time to check the data on insider transactions. You can click here to see if insiders have been buying or selling.

Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of companies we expect will grow earnings.

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