If You Had Bought Mueller Industries (NYSE:MLI) Stock A Year Ago, You Could Pocket A 18% Gain Today
We believe investing is smart because history shows that stock markets go higher in the long term. But if you choose that path, you're going to buy some stocks that fall short of the market. Unfortunately for shareholders, while the Mueller Industries, Inc. (NYSE:MLI) share price is up 18% in the last year, that falls short of the market return. However, the stock hasn't done so well in the longer term, with the stock only up 3.6% in three years.
View our latest analysis for Mueller Industries
While markets are a powerful pricing mechanism, share prices reflect investor sentiment, not just underlying business performance. One way to examine how market sentiment has changed over time is to look at the interaction between a company's share price and its earnings per share (EPS).
Mueller Industries was able to grow EPS by 30% in the last twelve months. This EPS growth is significantly higher than the 18% increase in the share price. So it seems like the market has cooled on Mueller Industries, despite the growth. Interesting.
The company's earnings per share (over time) is depicted in the image below (click to see the exact numbers).
We know that Mueller Industries has improved its bottom line lately, but is it going to grow revenue? This free report showing analyst revenue forecasts should help you figure out if the EPS growth can be sustained.
What about the Total Shareholder Return (TSR)?
We've already covered Mueller Industries' share price action, but we should also mention its total shareholder return (TSR). Arguably the TSR is a more complete return calculation because it accounts for the value of dividends (as if they were reinvested), along with the hypothetical value of any discounted capital that have been offered to shareholders. Mueller Industries' TSR of 20% for the year exceeded its share price return, because it has paid dividends.
A Different Perspective
Mueller Industries provided a TSR of 20% over the last twelve months. But that was short of the market average. On the bright side, that's still a gain, and it's actually better than the average return of 2.8% over half a decade This could indicate that the company is winning over new investors, as it pursues its strategy. 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. Even so, be aware that Mueller Industries is showing 1 warning sign in our investment analysis , you should know about...
Of course Mueller Industries may not be the best stock to buy. So you may wish to see this free collection of growth stocks.
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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