Is Akamai Technologies' (NASDAQ:AKAM) Share Price Gain Of 119% Well Earned?
The worst result, after buying shares in a company (assuming no leverage), would be if you lose all the money you put in. But when you pick a company that is really flourishing, you can make more than 100%. Long term Akamai Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKAM) shareholders would be well aware of this, since the stock is up 119% in five years. In the last week the share price is up 1.9%.
View our latest analysis for Akamai Technologies
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.
Over half a decade, Akamai Technologies managed to grow its earnings per share at 15% a year. So the EPS growth rate is rather close to the annualized share price gain of 17% per year. That suggests that the market sentiment around the company hasn't changed much over that time. Indeed, it would appear the share price is reacting to the EPS.
The image below shows how EPS has tracked over time (if you click on the image you can see greater detail).
It is of course excellent to see how Akamai Technologies has grown profits over the years, but the future is more important for shareholders. If you are thinking of buying or selling Akamai Technologies stock, you should check out this FREE detailed report on its balance sheet.
A Different Perspective
Akamai Technologies shareholders gained a total return of 9.6% during the year. But that was short of the market average. On the bright side, the longer term returns (running at about 17% a year, over half a decade) look better. It may well be that this is a business worth popping on the watching, given the continuing positive reception, over time, from the market. 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. To that end, you should be aware of the 2 warning signs we've spotted with Akamai Technologies .
Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of companies we expect will grow earnings.
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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