It hasn't been the best quarter for American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) shareholders, since the share price has fallen 12% in that time. Taking a longer term view we see the stock is up over one year. In that time, it is up 13%, which isn't bad, but is below the market return of 30%.

While the stock has fallen 3.3% this week, it's worth focusing on the longer term and seeing if the stocks historical returns have been driven by the underlying fundamentals.

Check out our latest analysis for American Electric Power Company

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.

American Electric Power Company was able to grow EPS by 14% in the last twelve months. We note that the earnings per share growth isn't far from the share price growth (of 13%). This makes us think the market hasn't really changed its sentiment around the company, in the last year. We don't think its coincidental that the share price is growing at a similar rate to the earnings per share.

You can see below how EPS has changed over time (discover the exact values by clicking on the image).

We know that American Electric Power Company has improved its bottom line lately, but is it going to grow revenue? Check if analysts think American Electric Power Company will grow revenue in the future.

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 American Electric Power Company, it has a TSR of 17% for the last 1 year. That exceeds its share price return that we previously mentioned. The dividends paid by the company have thusly boosted the total shareholder return.

A Different Perspective

American Electric Power Company shareholders are up 17% for the year (even including dividends). But that return falls short of the market. The silver lining is that the gain was actually better than the average annual return of 3% per year over five year. It is possible that returns will improve along with the business fundamentals. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand American Electric Power Company better, we need to consider many other factors. To that end, you should learn about the 2 warning signs we've spotted with American Electric Power Company (including 1 which doesn't sit too well with us) .