Yahoo Finance Investing in Eclipx Group (ASX:ECX) three years ago would have delivered you a 73% gain
By buying an index fund, you can roughly match the market return with ease. But many of us dare to dream of bigger returns, and build a portfolio ourselves. For example, the Eclipx Group Limited (ASX:ECX) share price is up 73% in the last three years, clearly besting the market return of around 11% (not including dividends). On the other hand, the returns haven't been quite so good recently, with shareholders up just 11%.
So let's investigate and see if the longer term performance of the company has been in line with the underlying business' progress.
Check out our latest analysis for Eclipx Group
While markets are a powerful pricing mechanism, share prices reflect investor sentiment, not just underlying business performance. One imperfect but simple way to consider how the market perception of a company has shifted is to compare the change in the earnings per share (EPS) with the share price movement.
Eclipx Group was able to grow its EPS at 78% per year over three years, sending the share price higher. This EPS growth is higher than the 20% average annual increase in the share price. Therefore, it seems the market has moderated its expectations for growth, somewhat. We'd venture the lowish P/E ratio of 7.95 also reflects the negative sentiment around the stock.
The graphic below depicts how EPS has changed over time (unveil the exact values by clicking on the image).
It is of course excellent to see how Eclipx Group has grown profits over the years, but the future is more important for shareholders. This free interactive report on Eclipx Group's balance sheet strength is a great place to start, if you want to investigate the stock further.
A Different Perspective
It's good to see that Eclipx Group has rewarded shareholders with a total shareholder return of 11% in the last twelve months. Notably the five-year annualised TSR loss of 5% per year compares very unfavourably with the recent share price performance. This makes us a little wary, but the business might have turned around its fortunes. While it is well worth considering the different impacts that market conditions can have on the share price, there are other factors that are even more important. For instance, we've identified 2 warning signs for Eclipx Group (1 can't be ignored) that you should be aware of.
We will like Eclipx Group better if we see some big insider buys. While we wait, check out this free list of growing companies with considerable, recent, insider buying.
Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on AU exchanges.
Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.
This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.
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