Those Who Purchased Monash IVF Group (ASX:MVF) Shares Three Years Ago Have A 48% Loss To Show For It
Many investors define successful investing as beating the market average over the long term. But its virtually certain that sometimes you will buy stocks that fall short of the market average returns. We regret to report that long term Monash IVF Group Limited (ASX:MVF) shareholders have had that experience, with the share price dropping 48% in three years, versus a market return of about 36%. There was little comfort for shareholders in the last week as the price declined a further 3.7%.
View our latest analysis for Monash IVF Group
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 flawed but reasonable way to assess how sentiment around a company has changed is to compare the earnings per share (EPS) with the share price.
Monash IVF Group saw its EPS decline at a compound rate of 12% per year, over the last three years. This reduction in EPS is slower than the 19% annual reduction in the share price. So it's likely that the EPS decline has disappointed the market, leaving investors hesitant to buy.
The graphic below depicts how EPS has changed over time (unveil the exact values by clicking on the image).
This free interactive report on Monash IVF Group's earnings, revenue and cash flow 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). 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. As it happens, Monash IVF Group's TSR for the last 3 years was -39%, which exceeds the share price return mentioned earlier. This is largely a result of its dividend payments!
A Different Perspective
Monash IVF Group shareholders are up 11% for the year (even including dividends) . But that was short of the market average. On the bright side, that's still a gain, and it is certainly better than the yearly loss of about 1.1% endured over half a decade. It could well be that the business is stabilizing. 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.
Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of companies we expect will grow earnings.
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.
