Those Who Purchased Patriot Transportation Holding (NASDAQ:PATI) Shares A Year Ago Have A 22% Loss To Show For It
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It's easy to match the overall market return by buying an index fund. But if you buy individual stocks, you can do both better or worse than that. That downside risk was realized by Patriot Transportation Holding, Inc. (NASDAQ:PATI) shareholders over the last year, as the share price declined 22%. That falls noticeably short of the market return of around 8.7%. Longer term shareholders haven't suffered as badly, since the stock is down a comparatively less painful 12% in three years.
View our latest analysis for Patriot Transportation Holding
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.
Unhappily, Patriot Transportation Holding had to report a 29% decline in EPS over the last year. The share price fall of 22% isn't as bad as the reduction in earnings per share. So the market may not be too worried about the EPS figure, at the moment -- or it may have expected earnings to drop faster.
The company's earnings per share (over time) is depicted in the image below (click to see the exact numbers).
It might be well worthwhile taking a look at our free report on Patriot Transportation Holding's earnings, revenue and cash flow.
A Different Perspective
The last twelve months weren't great for Patriot Transportation Holding shares, which cost holders 22%, while the market was up about 8.7%. However, keep in mind that even the best stocks will sometimes underperform the market over a twelve month period. The three-year loss of 4.3% per year isn't as bad as the last twelve months, suggesting that the company has not been able to convince the market it has solved its problems. Although Warren Buffett famously said he likes to 'buy when there is blood on the streets', he also focusses on high quality stocks with solid prospects. 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 like to buy stocks alongside management, then you might just love this free list of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them).
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.
