Advertisement
U.S. markets close in 6 hours 19 minutes
  • S&P 500

    5,250.91
    +2.42 (+0.05%)
     
  • Dow 30

    39,788.43
    +28.35 (+0.07%)
     
  • Nasdaq

    16,395.68
    -3.84 (-0.02%)
     
  • Russell 2000

    2,114.35
    +44.19 (+2.13%)
     
  • Crude Oil

    82.60
    +1.25 (+1.54%)
     
  • Gold

    2,229.90
    +17.20 (+0.78%)
     
  • Silver

    24.70
    -0.05 (-0.21%)
     
  • EUR/USD

    1.0806
    -0.0023 (-0.22%)
     
  • 10-Yr Bond

    4.2180
    +0.0220 (+0.52%)
     
  • GBP/USD

    1.2634
    -0.0004 (-0.03%)
     
  • USD/JPY

    151.3100
    +0.0640 (+0.04%)
     
  • Bitcoin USD

    70,830.92
    +6.71 (+0.01%)
     
  • CMC Crypto 200

    885.54
    0.00 (0.00%)
     
  • FTSE 100

    7,959.23
    +27.25 (+0.34%)
     
  • Nikkei 225

    40,168.07
    -594.66 (-1.46%)
     

Can You Imagine How Chuffed ASX's (ASX:ASX) Shareholders Feel About Its 114% Share Price Gain?

When you buy a stock there is always a possibility that it could drop 100%. But on the bright side, you can make far more than 100% on a really good stock. Long term ASX Limited (ASX:ASX) shareholders would be well aware of this, since the stock is up 114% in five years. And in the last month, the share price has gained -0.6%.

See our latest analysis for ASX

In his essay The Superinvestors of Graham-and-Doddsville Warren Buffett described how share prices do not always rationally reflect the value of a business. One imperfect but simple way to consider how the market perception of a company has shifted is to compare the change in the earnings per share (EPS) with the share price movement.

Over half a decade, ASX managed to grow its earnings per share at 5.1% a year. This EPS growth is slower than the share price growth of 16% per year, over the same period. This suggests that market participants hold the company in higher regard, these days. And that's hardly shocking given the track record of growth.

You can see below how EPS has changed over time (discover the exact values by clicking on the image).

ASX:ASX Past and Future Earnings, January 30th 2020
ASX:ASX Past and Future Earnings, January 30th 2020

We know that ASX has improved its bottom line lately, but is it going to grow revenue? You could check out this free report showing analyst revenue forecasts.

What About Dividends?

When looking at investment returns, it is important to consider the difference between total shareholder return (TSR) and share price return. Whereas the share price return only reflects the change in the share price, the TSR includes the value of dividends (assuming they were reinvested) and the benefit of any discounted capital raising or spin-off. So for companies that pay a generous dividend, the TSR is often a lot higher than the share price return. We note that for ASX the TSR over the last 5 years was 164%, which is better than the share price return mentioned above. And there's no prize for guessing that the dividend payments largely explain the divergence!

A Different Perspective

We're pleased to report that ASX shareholders have received a total shareholder return of 39% over one year. That's including the dividend. Since the one-year TSR is better than the five-year TSR (the latter coming in at 21% per year), it would seem that the stock's performance has improved in recent times. In the best case scenario, this may hint at some real business momentum, implying that now could be a great time to delve deeper. I find it very interesting to look at share price over the long term as a proxy for business performance. But to truly gain insight, we need to consider other information, too. For example, we've discovered 1 warning sign for ASX that you should be aware of before investing here.

Of course ASX 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 AU exchanges.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. 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. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned.

We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading.

Advertisement