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Thanks in no small measure to Vanguard founder Jack Bogle, it's easy buy a low cost index fund, which should provide the average market return. But you can make superior returns by picking better-than average stocks. To wit, Credicorp Ltd. (NYSE:BAP) shares are up 43% in three years, besting the market return. Zooming in, the stock is up just 1.0% in the last year.
See our latest analysis for Credicorp
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. 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.
During three years of share price growth, Credicorp achieved compound earnings per share growth of 8.9% per year. This EPS growth is lower than the 13% average annual increase in the share price. This suggests that, as the business progressed over the last few years, it gained the confidence of market participants. That's not necessarily surprising considering the three-year track record of earnings growth.
The image below shows how EPS has tracked over time (if you click on the image you can see greater detail).
Before buying or selling a stock, we always recommend a close examination of historic growth trends, available here..
What About Dividends?
When looking at investment returns, it is important to consider the difference between total shareholder return (TSR) and share price return. 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 and spin-offs. So for companies that pay a generous dividend, the TSR is often a lot higher than the share price return. As it happens, Credicorp's TSR for the last 3 years was 56%, which exceeds the share price return mentioned earlier. This is largely a result of its dividend payments!
A Different Perspective
Credicorp provided a TSR of 3.6% over the year (including dividends). That's fairly close to the broader market return. We should note here that the five-year TSR is more impressive, at 9.4% per year. More recently, the share price growth has slowed. But it has to be said the overall picture is one of good long term and short term performance. Arguably that makes Credicorp a stock worth watching. Before forming an opinion on Credicorp you might want to consider these 3 valuation metrics.
Of course Credicorp may not be the best stock to buy. So you may wish to see this free collection of growth stocks.