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While Micron Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:MU) shareholders are probably generally happy, the stock hasn't had particularly good run recently, with the share price falling 12% in the last quarter. But at least the stock is up over the last five years. In that time, it is up 65%, which isn't bad, but is below the market return of 97%.
Let's take a look at the underlying fundamentals over the longer term, and see if they've been consistent with shareholders returns.
View our latest analysis for Micron Technology
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 the five years of share price growth, Micron Technology moved from a loss to profitability. That's generally thought to be a genuine positive, so investors may expect to see an increasing share price.
The graphic below depicts how EPS has changed over time (unveil the exact values by clicking on the image).
We know that Micron Technology has improved its bottom line lately, but is it going to grow revenue? Check if analysts think Micron Technology will grow revenue in the future.
What About Dividends?
As well as measuring the share price return, investors should also consider the 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. So for companies that pay a generous dividend, the TSR is often a lot higher than the share price return. As it happens, Micron Technology's TSR for the last 5 years was 69%, which exceeds the share price return mentioned earlier. This is largely a result of its dividend payments!
A Different Perspective
Micron Technology provided a TSR of 4.2% over the last twelve months. But that return falls short of the market. It's probably a good sign that the company has an even better long term track record, having provided shareholders with an annual TSR of 11% over five years. It may well be that this is a business worth popping on the watching, given the continuing positive reception, over time, from the market. 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. For instance, we've identified 1 warning sign for Micron Technology that you should be aware of.