Yahoo Finance Smith & Wesson Brands (NASDAQ:SWBI) shareholders have earned a 24% CAGR over the last three years
Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ:SWBI) shareholders might be concerned after seeing the share price drop 17% in the last quarter. In contrast the stock has done reasonably well over three years. In that time the stock gained 50%, besting the market return of 49%.
Now it's worth having a look at the company's fundamentals too, because that will help us determine if the long term shareholder return has matched the performance of the underlying business.
Check out our latest analysis for Smith & Wesson Brands
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).
During three years of share price growth, Smith & Wesson Brands achieved compound earnings per share growth of 163% per year. The average annual share price increase of 15% is actually lower than the EPS growth. Therefore, it seems the market has moderated its expectations for growth, somewhat. This cautious sentiment is reflected in its (fairly low) P/E ratio of 2.61.
You can see below how EPS has changed over time (discover the exact values by clicking on the image).
We know that Smith & Wesson Brands has improved its bottom line over the last three years, but what does the future have in store? You can see how its balance sheet has strengthened (or weakened) over time in this free interactive graphic.
What About Dividends?
It is important to consider the total shareholder return, as well as the share price return, for any given stock. Whereas the share price return only reflects the change in the share price, the TSR includes the value of dividends (assuming they were reinvested) and the benefit of any discounted capital raising or spin-off. It's fair to say that the TSR gives a more complete picture for stocks that pay a dividend. In the case of Smith & Wesson Brands, it has a TSR of 91% 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 regret to report that Smith & Wesson Brands shareholders are down 26% for the year (even including dividends). Unfortunately, that's worse than the broader market decline of 6.7%. However, it could simply be that the share price has been impacted by broader market jitters. It might be worth keeping an eye on the fundamentals, in case there's a good opportunity. Unfortunately, last year's performance may indicate unresolved challenges, given that it was worse than the annualised loss of 4% over the last half decade. We realise that Baron Rothschild has said investors should "buy when there is blood on the streets", but we caution that investors should first be sure they are buying a high quality business. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand Smith & Wesson Brands better, we need to consider many other factors. To that end, you should learn about the 3 warning signs we've spotted with Smith & Wesson Brands (including 1 which is concerning) .
We will like Smith & Wesson Brands better if we see some big insider buys. While we wait, check out this free list of growing companies with considerable, recent, 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.
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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.
