While TASCO Berhad (KLSE:TASCO) shareholders are probably generally happy, the stock hasn’t had particularly good run recently, with the share price falling 20% in the last quarter. But that doesn’t change the fact that shareholders have received really good returns over the last five years. We think most investors would be happy with the 154% return, over that period. Generally speaking the long term returns will give you a better idea of business quality than short periods can. Of course, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s cheap now. While the returns over the last 5 years have been good, we do feel sorry for those shareholders who haven’t held shares that long, because the share price is down 45% in the last three years.
With that in mind, it’s worth seeing if the company’s underlying fundamentals have been the driver of long term performance, or if there are some discrepancies.
See our latest analysis for TASCO Berhad
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 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 five years of share price growth, TASCO Berhad achieved compound earnings per share (EPS) growth of 43% per year. The EPS growth is more impressive than the yearly share price gain of 20% over the same period. So it seems the market isn’t so enthusiastic about the stock these days. The reasonably low P/E ratio of 10.42 also suggests market apprehension.
The company’s earnings per share (over time) is depicted in the image below (click to see the exact numbers).
Before buying or selling a stock, we always recommend a close examination of historic growth trends, available here.
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 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. We note that for TASCO Berhad the TSR over the last 5 years was 189%, which is better than the share price return mentioned above. And there’s no prize for guessing that the dividend payments largely explain the divergence!
A Different Perspective
TASCO Berhad shareholders are down 12% for the year (even including dividends), but the market itself is up 16%. However, keep in mind that even the best stocks will sometimes underperform the market over a twelve month period. On the bright side, long term shareholders have made money, with a gain of 24% per year over half a decade. If the fundamental data continues to indicate long term sustainable growth, the current sell-off could be an opportunity worth considering. It’s always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand TASCO Berhad better, we need to consider many other factors. Like risks, for instance. Every company has them, and we’ve spotted 2 warning signs for TASCO Berhad (of which 1 is potentially serious!) you should know about.
If you like to buy stocks alongside management, then you might just love this free list of companies. (Hint: many of them are unnoticed AND have attractive valuation).
Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on Malaysian 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.
