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For us, stock picking is in large part the hunt for the truly magnificent stocks. But when you hold the right stock for the right time period, the rewards can be truly huge. Take, for example, the Perseus Mining Limited (ASX:PRU) share price, which skyrocketed 367% over three years. Also pleasing for shareholders was the 39% gain in the last three months.

See our latest analysis for Perseus Mining

To paraphrase Benjamin Graham: Over the short term the market is a voting machine, but over the long term it's a weighing machine. 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.

During three years of share price growth, Perseus Mining moved from a loss to profitability. Given the importance of this milestone, it's not overly surprising that the share price has increased strongly.

The image below shows how EPS has tracked over time (if you click on the image you can see greater detail).

We know that Perseus Mining has improved its bottom line over the last three years, but what does the future have in store? If you are thinking of buying or selling Perseus Mining stock, you should check out this FREE detailed report on its balance sheet.

What about the Total Shareholder Return (TSR)?

We've already covered Perseus Mining's share price action, but we should also mention its total shareholder return (TSR). The TSR is a return calculation that accounts for the value of cash dividends (assuming that any dividend received was reinvested) and the calculated value of any discounted capital raisings and spin-offs. Perseus Mining hasn't been paying dividends, but its TSR of 367% exceeds its share price return of 367%, implying it has either spun-off a business, or raised capital at a discount; thereby providing additional value to shareholders.

A Different Perspective

We're pleased to report that Perseus Mining shareholders have received a total shareholder return of 97% over one year. Since the one-year TSR is better than the five-year TSR (the latter coming in at 35% per year), it would seem that the stock's performance has improved in recent times. In the best case scenario, this may hint at some real business momentum, implying that now could be a great time to delve deeper. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand Perseus Mining better, we need to consider many other factors. Consider risks, for instance. Every company has them, and we've spotted 2 warning signs for Perseus Mining you should know about.