Yahoo Finance Those who invested in L.S. Starrett (NYSE:SCX) three years ago are up 65%
One simple way to benefit from the stock market is to buy an index fund. But if you choose individual stocks with prowess, you can make superior returns. Just take a look at The L.S. Starrett Company (NYSE:SCX), which is up 65%, over three years, soundly beating the market return of 18% (not including dividends).
So let's investigate and see if the longer term performance of the company has been in line with the underlying business' progress.
See our latest analysis for L.S. Starrett
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).
L.S. Starrett was able to grow its EPS at 33% per year over three years, sending the share price higher. The average annual share price increase of 18% is actually lower than the EPS growth. So one could reasonably conclude that the market has cooled on the stock. We'd venture the lowish P/E ratio of 4.32 also reflects the negative sentiment around the stock.
You can see how EPS has changed over time in the image below (click on the chart to see the exact values).
This free interactive report on L.S. Starrett's earnings, revenue and cash flow is a great place to start, if you want to investigate the stock further.
A Different Perspective
Although it hurts that L.S. Starrett returned a loss of 18% in the last twelve months, the broader market was actually worse, returning a loss of 25%. Longer term investors wouldn't be so upset, since they would have made 1.1%, each year, over five years. In the best case scenario the last year is just a temporary blip on the journey to a brighter future. I find it very interesting to look at share price over the long term as a proxy for business performance. But to truly gain insight, we need to consider other information, too. To that end, you should be aware of the 3 warning signs we've spotted with L.S. Starrett .
If you like to buy stocks alongside management, then you might just love this free list of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them).
Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on US exchanges.
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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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