Introducing Kaiser Aluminum (NASDAQ:KALU), A Stock That Climbed 44% In The Last Five Years
The simplest way to invest in stocks is to buy exchange traded funds. But the truth is, you can make significant gains if you buy good quality businesses at the right price. For example, the Kaiser Aluminum Corporation (NASDAQ:KALU) share price is 44% higher than it was five years ago, which is more than the market average. In comparison, the share price is down 1.7% in a year.
See our latest analysis for Kaiser Aluminum
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.
During the five years of share price growth, Kaiser Aluminum moved from a loss to profitability. That would generally be considered a positive, so we’d expect the share price to be up.
The company’s earnings per share (over time) is depicted in the image below (click to see the exact numbers).
We know that Kaiser Aluminum has improved its bottom line over the last three years, but what does the future have in store? This free interactive report on Kaiser Aluminum’s balance sheet strength is a great place to start, if you want to investigate the stock further.
What About Dividends?
As well as measuring the share price return, investors should also consider the total shareholder return (TSR). The TSR is a return calculation that accounts for the value of cash dividends (assuming that any dividend received was reinvested) and the calculated value of any discounted capital raisings. It’s fair to say that the TSR gives a more complete picture for stocks that pay a dividend. We note that for Kaiser Aluminum the TSR over the last 5 years was 60%, which is better than the share price return mentioned above. This is largely a result of its dividend payments!
A Different Perspective
Kaiser Aluminum shareholders are up 0.5% for the year (even including dividends). But that was short of the market average. If we look back over five years, the returns are even better, coming in at 9.9% per year for five years. It may well be that this is a business worth popping on the watching, given the continuing positive reception, over time, from the market. Most investors take the time to check the data on insider transactions. You can click here to see if insiders have been buying or selling.
If you are like me, then you will 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.
