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In order to justify the effort of selecting individual stocks, it's worth striving to beat the returns from a market index fund. But its virtually certain that sometimes you will buy stocks that fall short of the market average returns. We regret to report that long term Cargotec Corporation (HEL:CGCBV) shareholders have had that experience, with the share price dropping 25% in three years, versus a market return of about 29%. Unhappily, the share price slid 5.3% in the last week.
View our latest analysis for Cargotec
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).
Cargotec saw its EPS decline at a compound rate of 5.8% per year, over the last three years. This reduction in EPS is slower than the 9.3% annual reduction in the share price. So it's likely that the EPS decline has disappointed the market, leaving investors hesitant to buy.
The image below shows how EPS has tracked over time (if you click on the image you can see greater detail).
We know that Cargotec has improved its bottom line lately, but is it going to grow revenue? Check if analysts think Cargotec will grow revenue in the future.
What About Dividends?
It is important to consider the total shareholder return, as well as the share price return, for any given stock. 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. As it happens, Cargotec's TSR for the last 3 years was -19%, which exceeds the share price return mentioned earlier. This is largely a result of its dividend payments!
A Different Perspective
Cargotec shareholders are down 11% for the year (even including dividends) , but the market itself is up 12%. However, keep in mind that even the best stocks will sometimes underperform the market over a twelve month period. On the bright side, long term shareholders have made money, with a gain of 5.0% per year over half a decade. If the fundamental data continues to indicate long term sustainable growth, the current sell-off could be an opportunity worth considering. Before forming an opinion on Cargotec you might want to consider the cold hard cash it pays as a dividend. This free chart tracks its dividend over time.