In This Article:
China Evergrande Group (HKG:3333) shareholders have seen the share price descend 10% over the month. But that doesn't undermine the fantastic longer term performance (measured over five years). In that time, the share price has soared some 628% higher! Arguably, the recent fall is to be expected after such a strong rise. Of course what matters most is whether the business can improve itself sustainably, thus justifying a higher price.
It really delights us to see such great share price performance for investors.
Check out our latest analysis for China Evergrande Group
While markets are a powerful pricing mechanism, share prices reflect investor sentiment, not just underlying business performance. 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).
During five years of share price growth, China Evergrande Group achieved compound earnings per share (EPS) growth of 29% per year. This EPS growth is lower than the 49% 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.
The graphic below depicts how EPS has changed over time (unveil the exact values by clicking on the image).
We consider it positive that insiders have made significant purchases in the last year. Having said that, most people consider earnings and revenue growth trends to be a more meaningful guide to the business. Before buying or selling a stock, we always recommend a close examination of historic growth trends, available here..
A Dividend Lost
It's important to keep in mind that we've been talking about the share price returns, which don't include dividends, while the total shareholder return does. In some ways, TSR is a better measure of how well an investment has performed. China Evergrande Group's TSR over the last 5 years is 1003%; better than its share price return. Although the company had to cut dividends, it has paid cash to shareholders in the past.
A Different Perspective
It's nice to see that China Evergrande Group shareholders have received a total shareholder return of 7.5% over the last year. However, the TSR over five years, coming in at 62% per year, is even more impressive. 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. Investors who like to make money usually check up on insider purchases, such as the price paid, and total amount bought. You can find out about the insider purchases of China Evergrande Group by clicking this link.