Yahoo Finance If You Had Bought AmerisourceBergen (NYSE:ABC) Stock Three Years Ago, You Could Pocket A 16% Gain Today
Low-cost index funds make it easy to achieve average market returns. But if you invest in individual stocks, some are likely to underperform. For example, the AmerisourceBergen Corporation (NYSE:ABC) share price return of 16% over three years lags the market return in the same period. At least the stock price is up over the last year, albeit only by 0.9%.
See our latest analysis for AmerisourceBergen
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 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.
During the three years of share price growth, AmerisourceBergen actually saw its earnings per share (EPS) drop 15% per year.
The strong decline in earnings per share suggests the market isn't using EPS to judge the company. Since the change in EPS doesn't seem to correlate with the change in share price, it's worth taking a look at other metrics.
The modest 1.8% dividend yield is unlikely to be propping up the share price. It may well be that AmerisourceBergen revenue growth rate of 7.4% 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).
We consider it positive that insiders have made significant purchases in the last year. Even so, future earnings will be far more important to whether current shareholders make money. If you are thinking of buying or selling AmerisourceBergen stock, you should check out this free report showing analyst profit forecasts.
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. It's fair to say that the TSR gives a more complete picture for stocks that pay a dividend. As it happens, AmerisourceBergen's TSR for the last 3 years was 22%, which exceeds the share price return mentioned earlier. This is largely a result of its dividend payments!
A Different Perspective
AmerisourceBergen shareholders gained a total return of 2.8% during the year. But that was short of the market average. On the bright side, that's still a gain, and it's actually better than the average return of 1.1% over half a decade It is possible that returns will improve along with the business fundamentals. Investors who like to make money usually check up on insider purchases, such as the price paid, and total amount bought. You can find out about the insider purchases of AmerisourceBergen by clicking this link.
AmerisourceBergen is not the only stock insiders are buying. So take a peek at this free list of growing companies with insider buying.
Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on US exchanges.
If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. 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. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned.
We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading.
