While not a mind-blowing move, it is good to see that the Clean Energy Fuels Corp. (NASDAQ:CLNE) share price has gained 12% in the last three months. But that doesn't change the fact that the returns over the last three years have been disappointing. Tragically, the share price declined 63% in that time. So it is really good to see an improvement. After all, could be that the fall was overdone.

Now let's have a look at the company's fundamentals, and see if the long term shareholder return has matched the performance of the underlying business.

See our latest analysis for Clean Energy Fuels

Given that Clean Energy Fuels didn't make a profit in the last twelve months, we'll focus on revenue growth to form a quick view of its business development. When a company doesn't make profits, we'd generally hope to see good revenue growth. As you can imagine, fast revenue growth, when maintained, often leads to fast profit growth.

Over three years, Clean Energy Fuels grew revenue at 20% per year. That is faster than most pre-profit companies. The share price has moved in quite the opposite direction, down 18% over that time, a bad result. It seems likely that the market is worried about the continual losses. When we see revenue growth, paired with a falling share price, we can't help wonder if there is an opportunity for those who are willing to dig deeper.

The company's revenue and earnings (over time) are depicted in the image below (click to see the exact numbers).

It's probably worth noting that the CEO is paid less than the median at similar sized companies. But while CEO remuneration is always worth checking, the really important question is whether the company can grow earnings going forward. If you are thinking of buying or selling Clean Energy Fuels stock, you should check out this free report showing analyst profit forecasts.

A Different Perspective

Investors in Clean Energy Fuels had a tough year, with a total loss of 22%, against a market gain of about 30%. However, keep in mind that even the best stocks will sometimes underperform the market over a twelve month period. Longer term investors wouldn't be so upset, since they would have made 8%, each year, over five years. It could be that the recent sell-off is an opportunity, so it may be worth checking the fundamental data for signs of a long term growth trend. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand Clean Energy Fuels better, we need to consider many other factors. To that end, you should be aware of the 2 warning signs we've spotted with Clean Energy Fuels .

If you like to buy stocks alongside management, then you might just love this free list of companies. (Hint: many of them are unnoticed AND have attractive valuation).

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