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The most you can lose on any stock (assuming you don’t use leverage) is 100% of your money. But on the bright side, if you buy shares in a high quality company at the right price, you can gain well over 100%. For example, the Credit Corp Group Limited (ASX:CCP) share price has soared 138% in the last half decade. Most would be very happy with that. On top of that, the share price is up 12% in about a quarter. But this move may well have been assisted by the reasonably buoyant market (up 7.9% in 90 days).
See our latest analysis for Credit Corp Group
While the efficient markets hypothesis continues to be taught by some, it has been proven that markets are over-reactive dynamic systems, and investors are not always rational. 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).
Over half a decade, Credit Corp Group managed to grow its earnings per share at 15% a year. This EPS growth is lower than the 19% average annual increase in the share price. So it’s fair to assume the market has a higher opinion of the business than it did five years ago. And that’s hardly shocking given the track record of growth.
You can see how EPS has changed over time in the image below (click on the chart to see the exact values).
We know that Credit Corp Group has improved its bottom line lately, but is it going to grow revenue? You could check out this free report showing analyst revenue forecasts.
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. So for companies that pay a generous dividend, the TSR is often a lot higher than the share price return. As it happens, Credit Corp Group’s TSR for the last 5 years was 180%, which exceeds the share price return mentioned earlier. The dividends paid by the company have thusly boosted the total shareholder return.
A Different Perspective
It’s good to see that Credit Corp Group has rewarded shareholders with a total shareholder return of 12% in the last twelve months. And that does include the dividend. Having said that, the five-year TSR of 23% a year, is even better. The pessimistic view would be that be that the stock has its best days behind it, but on the other hand the price might simply be moderating while the business itself continues to execute. Keeping this in mind, a solid next step might be to take a look at Credit Corp Group’s dividend track record. This free interactive graph is a great place to start.