Investors Who Bought Seneca Foods (NASDAQ:SENE.A) Shares Three Years Ago Are Now Up 86%
By buying an index fund, investors can approximate the average market return. But if you choose individual stocks with prowess, you can make superior returns. For example, Seneca Foods Corporation (NASDAQ:SENE.A) shareholders have seen the share price rise 86% over three years, well in excess of the market return (54%, not including dividends). On the other hand, the returns haven't been quite so good recently, with shareholders up just 56%.
Check out our latest analysis for Seneca Foods
To quote Buffett, 'Ships will sail around the world but the Flat Earth Society will flourish. There will continue to be wide discrepancies between price and value in the marketplace...' 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).
Seneca Foods was able to grow its EPS at 138% per year over three years, sending the share price higher. The average annual share price increase of 23% is actually lower than the EPS growth. So it seems investors have become more cautious about the company, over time. This cautious sentiment is reflected in its (fairly low) P/E ratio of 3.63.
The graphic below depicts how EPS has changed over time (unveil the exact values by clicking on the image).
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. It might be well worthwhile taking a look at our free report on Seneca Foods' earnings, revenue and cash flow.
A Different Perspective
It's good to see that Seneca Foods has rewarded shareholders with a total shareholder return of 56% in the last twelve months. Since the one-year TSR is better than the five-year TSR (the latter coming in at 7% 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. Take risks, for example - Seneca Foods has 1 warning sign we think you should be aware of.
We will like Seneca Foods better if we see some big insider buys. While we wait, check out this free list of growing companies with considerable, recent, insider buying.
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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