Yahoo Finance Did You Participate In Any Of SunPower's (NASDAQ:SPWR) Incredible 437% Return?
It hasn't been the best quarter for SunPower Corporation (NASDAQ:SPWR) shareholders, since the share price has fallen 30% in that time. Despite this, the stock is a strong performer over the last year, no doubt about that. Like an eagle, the share price soared 251% in that time. So some might not be surprised to see the price retrace some. The real question is whether the business is trending in the right direction.
Check out our latest analysis for SunPower
To paraphrase Benjamin Graham: Over the short term the market is a voting machine, but over the long term it's a weighing machine. 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.
During the last year SunPower grew its earnings per share, moving from a loss to a profit.
When a company has just transitioned to profitability, earnings per share growth is not always the best way to look at the share price action.
However the year on year revenue growth of 4.1% would help. We do see some companies suppress earnings in order to accelerate revenue growth.
The image below shows how earnings and revenue have tracked over time (if you click on the image you can see greater detail).
It is of course excellent to see how SunPower has grown profits over the years, but the future is more important for shareholders. If you are thinking of buying or selling SunPower stock, you should check out this FREE detailed report on its balance sheet.
What about the Total Shareholder Return (TSR)?
We'd be remiss not to mention the difference between SunPower's total shareholder return (TSR) and its share price return. The TSR attempts to capture the value of dividends (as if they were reinvested) as well as any spin-offs or discounted capital raisings offered to shareholders. We note that SunPower's TSR, at 437% is higher than its share price return of 251%. When you consider it hasn't been paying a dividend, this data suggests shareholders have benefitted from a spin-off, or had the opportunity to acquire attractively priced shares in a discounted capital raising.
A Different Perspective
It's nice to see that SunPower shareholders have received a total shareholder return of 437% over the last year. That's better than the annualised return of 22% 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. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand SunPower better, we need to consider many other factors. For example, we've discovered 4 warning signs for SunPower (2 are potentially serious!) that you should be aware of before investing here.
For those who like to find winning investments this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket.
Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on US exchanges.
This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. 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.
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