Can You Imagine How Select Medical Holdings's (NYSE:SEM) Shareholders Feel About The 37% Share Price Increase?
The main point of investing for the long term is to make money. Furthermore, you'd generally like to see the share price rise faster than the market But Select Medical Holdings Corporation (NYSE:SEM) has fallen short of that second goal, with a share price rise of 37% over five years, which is below the market return. The last year has been disappointing, with the stock price down 6.2% in that time.
View our latest analysis for Select Medical Holdings
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).
During five years of share price growth, Select Medical Holdings achieved compound earnings per share (EPS) growth of 3.8% per year. This EPS growth is lower than the 6.5% average annual increase in the share price. This suggests that market participants hold the company in higher regard, these days. That's not necessarily surprising considering the five-year track record of earnings growth.
You can see how EPS has changed over time in the image below (click on the chart to see the exact values).
We consider it positive that insiders have made significant purchases in the last year. Having said that, most people consider earnings and revenue growth trends to be a more meaningful guide to the business. Dive deeper into the earnings by checking this interactive graph of Select Medical Holdings's earnings, revenue and cash flow.
What about the Total Shareholder Return (TSR)?
We've already covered Select Medical Holdings's 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. Dividends have been really beneficial for Select Medical Holdings shareholders, and that cash payout contributed to why its TSR of 39%, over the last 5 years, is better than the share price return.
A Different Perspective
While the broader market gained around 3.0% in the last year, Select Medical Holdings shareholders lost 6.2%. 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 6.9% per year over half a decade. 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. Investors who like to make money usually check up on insider purchases, such as the price paid, and total amount bought. You can find out about the insider purchases of Select Medical Holdings by clicking this link.
There are plenty of other companies that have insiders buying up shares. You probably do not want to miss this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying.
Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on US exchanges.
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.
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. Thank you for reading.
