The worst result, after buying shares in a company (assuming no leverage), would be if you lose all the money you put in. But in contrast you can make much more than 100% if the company does well. For instance the Unisem (M) Berhad (KLSE:UNISEM) share price is 194% higher than it was three years ago. How nice for those who held the stock! We note the stock price is up 6.1% in the last seven days.

The past week has proven to be lucrative for Unisem (M) Berhad investors, so let's see if fundamentals drove the company's three-year performance.

See our latest analysis for Unisem (M) Berhad

While markets are a powerful pricing mechanism, share prices reflect investor sentiment, not just underlying business performance. 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).

Unisem (M) Berhad was able to grow its EPS at 34% per year over three years, sending the share price higher. This EPS growth is lower than the 43% average annual increase in the share price. So it's fair to assume the market has a higher opinion of the business than it did three years ago. It is quite common to see investors become enamoured with a business, after a few years of solid progress.

The company's earnings per share (over time) is depicted in the image below (click to see the exact numbers).

It is of course excellent to see how Unisem (M) Berhad has grown profits over the years, but the future is more important for shareholders. This free interactive report on Unisem (M) Berhad's balance sheet strength is a great place to start, if you want to investigate the stock further.

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. In the case of Unisem (M) Berhad, it has a TSR of 210% for the last 3 years. That exceeds its share price return that we previously mentioned. This is largely a result of its dividend payments!

A Different Perspective

We're pleased to report that Unisem (M) Berhad shareholders have received a total shareholder return of 6.7% over one year. Of course, that includes the dividend. Having said that, the five-year TSR of 20% a year, is even better. The pessimistic view would be that be that the stock has its best days behind it, but on the other hand the price might simply be moderating while the business itself continues to execute. While it is well worth considering the different impacts that market conditions can have on the share price, there are other factors that are even more important. For example, we've discovered 2 warning signs for Unisem (M) Berhad (1 is concerning!) that you should be aware of before investing here.