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Investors can approximate the average market return by buying an index fund. When you buy individual stocks, you can make higher profits, but you also face the risk of under-performance. Investors in L.K. Technology Holdings Limited (HKG:558) have tasted that bitter downside in the last year, as the share price dropped 42%. That contrasts poorly with the market return of 5.4%. However, the longer term returns haven't been so bad, with the stock down 15% in the last three years. Shareholders have had an even rougher run lately, with the share price down 18% in the last 90 days.
View our latest analysis for L.K. Technology Holdings
In his essay The Superinvestors of Graham-and-Doddsville Warren Buffett described how share prices do not always rationally reflect the value of a business. 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.
Unhappily, L.K. Technology Holdings had to report a 26% decline in EPS over the last year. This reduction in EPS is not as bad as the 42% share price fall. So it seems the market was too confident about the business, a year ago. The P/E ratio of 3.03 also points to the negative market sentiment.
The company's earnings per share (over time) is depicted in the image below (click to see the exact numbers).
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 incorporates the value of any spin-offs or discounted capital raisings, along with any dividends, based on the assumption that the dividends are reinvested. It's fair to say that the TSR gives a more complete picture for stocks that pay a dividend. In the case of L.K. Technology Holdings, it has a TSR of -37% for the last year. That exceeds its share price return that we previously mentioned. And there's no prize for guessing that the dividend payments largely explain the divergence!
A Different Perspective
While the broader market gained around 5.4% in the last year, L.K. Technology Holdings shareholders lost 37% (even including dividends) . However, keep in mind that even the best stocks will sometimes underperform the market over a twelve month period. Regrettably, last year's performance caps off a bad run, with the shareholders facing a total loss of 4.6% 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 L.K. Technology Holdings's dividend history. This free visual report on its dividends is a must-read if you're thinking of buying.