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When you buy a stock there is always a possibility that it could drop 100%. But on the bright side, you can make far more than 100% on a really good stock. For instance, the price of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) stock is up an impressive 181% over the last five years. On the other hand, we note it's down 9.2% in about a month. We note that the broader market is down 9.6% in the last month, and this may have impacted UnitedHealth Group's share price.
So let's investigate and see if the longer term performance of the company has been in line with the underlying business' progress.
See our latest analysis for UnitedHealth Group
There is no denying that markets are sometimes efficient, but prices do not always reflect underlying business performance. One flawed but reasonable way to assess how sentiment around a company has changed is to compare the earnings per share (EPS) with the share price.
Over half a decade, UnitedHealth Group managed to grow its earnings per share at 19% a year. This EPS growth is reasonably close to the 23% average annual increase in the share price. That suggests that the market sentiment around the company hasn't changed much over that time. Indeed, it would appear the share price is reacting to the EPS.
The graphic below depicts how EPS has changed over time (unveil the exact values by clicking on the image).
It's good to see that there was some significant insider buying in the last three months. That's a positive. On the other hand, we think the revenue and earnings trends are much more meaningful measures of the business. Before buying or selling a stock, we always recommend a close examination of historic growth trends, available here..
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, UnitedHealth Group's TSR for the last 5 years was 203%, which exceeds the share price return mentioned earlier. The dividends paid by the company have thusly boosted the total shareholder return.
A Different Perspective
It's nice to see that UnitedHealth Group shareholders have received a total shareholder return of 20% over the last year. Of course, that includes the dividend. However, that falls short of the 25% TSR per annum it has made for shareholders, each year, over five years. 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. Take risks, for example - UnitedHealth Group has 1 warning sign we think you should be aware of.