Yahoo Finance AltaGas (TSE:ALA) investors are up 3.2% in the past week, but earnings have declined over the last three years
It might be of some concern to shareholders to see the AltaGas Ltd. (TSE:ALA) share price down 11% in the last month. In contrast the stock has done reasonably well over three years. It beat the market return of 31% in that time, gaining 36%.
Since it's been a strong week for AltaGas shareholders, let's have a look at trend of the longer term fundamentals.
View our latest analysis for AltaGas
To quote Buffett, 'Ships will sail around the world but the Flat Earth Society will flourish. There will continue to be wide discrepancies between price and value in the marketplace...' One imperfect but simple way to consider how the market perception of a company has shifted is to compare the change in the earnings per share (EPS) with the share price movement.
Over the last three years, AltaGas failed to grow earnings per share, which fell 5.2% (annualized).
So we doubt that the market is looking to EPS for its main judge of the company's value. Given this situation, it makes sense to look at other metrics too.
It may well be that AltaGas revenue growth rate of 27% over three years has convinced shareholders to believe in a brighter future. If the company is being managed for the long term good, today's shareholders might be right to hold on.
The graphic below depicts how earnings and revenue have changed over time (unveil the exact values by clicking on the image).
AltaGas is well known by investors, and plenty of clever analysts have tried to predict the future profit levels. So it makes a lot of sense to check out what analysts think AltaGas will earn in the future (free analyst consensus estimates)
What About Dividends?
When looking at investment returns, it is important to consider the difference between total shareholder return (TSR) and share price return. 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. Arguably, the TSR gives a more comprehensive picture of the return generated by a stock. As it happens, AltaGas' TSR for the last 3 years was 57%, which exceeds the share price return mentioned earlier. And there's no prize for guessing that the dividend payments largely explain the divergence!
A Different Perspective
It's good to see that AltaGas has rewarded shareholders with a total shareholder return of 8.0% in the last twelve months. And that does include the dividend. That's better than the annualised return of 4% over half a decade, implying that the company is doing better recently. Given the share price momentum remains strong, it might be worth taking a closer look at the stock, lest you miss an opportunity. 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. Even so, be aware that AltaGas is showing 4 warning signs in our investment analysis , and 2 of those shouldn't be ignored...
But note: AltaGas may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with past earnings growth (and further growth forecast).
Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on CA exchanges.
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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.
