Some Melco Resorts & Entertainment (NASDAQ:MLCO) Shareholders Are Down 41%
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For many, the main point of investing is to generate higher returns than the overall market. But in any portfolio, there will be mixed results between individual stocks. At this point some shareholders may be questioning their investment in Melco Resorts & Entertainment Limited (NASDAQ:MLCO), since the last five years saw the share price fall 41%. We also note that the stock has performed poorly over the last year, with the share price down 40%. Even worse, it's down 24% in about a month, which isn't fun at all. Importantly, this could be a market reaction to the recently released financial results. You can check out the latest numbers in our company report.
Check out our latest analysis for Melco Resorts & Entertainment
To paraphrase Benjamin Graham: Over the short term the market is a voting machine, but over the long term it's a weighing machine. By comparing earnings per share (EPS) and share price changes over time, we can get a feel for how investor attitudes to a company have morphed over time.
Looking back five years, both Melco Resorts & Entertainment's share price and EPS declined; the latter at a rate of 15% per year. This fall in the EPS is worse than the 9.9% compound annual share price fall. The relatively muted share price reaction might be because the market expects the business to turn around.
You can see how EPS has changed over time in the image below (click on the chart to see the exact values).
It is of course excellent to see how Melco Resorts & Entertainment has grown profits over the years, but the future is more important for shareholders. This free interactive report on Melco Resorts & Entertainment's balance sheet strength is a great place to start, if you want to investigate the stock further.
What About Dividends?
It is important to consider the total shareholder return, as well as the share price return, for any given stock. 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. It's fair to say that the TSR gives a more complete picture for stocks that pay a dividend. In the case of Melco Resorts & Entertainment, it has a TSR of -28% for the last 5 years. That exceeds its share price return that we previously mentioned. The dividends paid by the company have thusly boosted the total shareholder return.
A Different Perspective
While the broader market gained around 0.3% in the last year, Melco Resorts & Entertainment shareholders lost 39% (even including dividends). Even the share prices of good stocks drop sometimes, but we want to see improvements in the fundamental metrics of a business, before getting too interested. Regrettably, last year's performance caps off a bad run, with the shareholders facing a total loss of 6.5% per year over five years. Generally speaking long term share price weakness can be a bad sign, though contrarian investors might want to research the stock in hope of a turnaround. Importantly, we haven't analysed Melco Resorts & Entertainment's dividend history. This free visual report on its dividends is a must-read if you're thinking of buying.
If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of companies that have proven they can grow earnings.
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.
