Identiv, Inc. (NASDAQ:INVE) shareholders might be concerned after seeing the share price drop 16% in the last quarter. But at least the stock is up over the last five years. However we are not very impressed because the share price is only up 41%, less than the market return of 86%.

Now it's worth having a look at the company's fundamentals too, because that will help us determine if the long term shareholder return has matched the performance of the underlying business.

See our latest analysis for Identiv

Identiv 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. Shareholders of unprofitable companies usually expect strong revenue growth. 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 5 years Identiv saw its revenue grow at 9.6% per year. That's a pretty good long term growth rate. While the share price has gained 7% per year for five years, that's hardly amazing considering the market also rose. You could even argue that the share price was over optimistic, previously.

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

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. You can see what analysts are predicting for Identiv in this interactive graph of future profit estimates.

A Different Perspective

Identiv shareholders are down 17% for the year, but the market itself is up 14%. However, keep in mind that even the best stocks will sometimes underperform the market over a twelve month period. On the bright side, long term shareholders have made money, with a gain of 7% per year over half a decade. If the fundamental data continues to indicate long term sustainable growth, the current sell-off could be an opportunity worth considering. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand Identiv better, we need to consider many other factors. Case in point: We've spotted 2 warning signs for Identiv you should be aware of.

Identiv 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 American exchanges.