The Caltagirone (BIT:CALT) Share Price Has Gained 38% And Shareholders Are Hoping For More
By buying an index fund, investors can approximate the average market return. But if you pick the right individual stocks, you could make more than that. Just take a look at Caltagirone SpA (BIT:CALT), which is up 38%, over three years, soundly beating the market return of 13% (not including dividends). However, more recent returns haven't been as impressive as that, with the stock returning just 1.1% in the last year , including dividends .
See our latest analysis for Caltagirone
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.
Caltagirone was able to grow its EPS at 4.3% per year over three years, sending the share price higher. In comparison, the 11% per year gain in the share price outpaces the EPS growth. So it's fair to assume the market has a higher opinion of the business than it did three years ago. It's not unusual to see the market 're-rate' a stock, after a few years of growth.
The graphic below depicts how EPS has changed over time (unveil the exact values by clicking on the image).
Dive deeper into Caltagirone's key metrics by checking this interactive graph of Caltagirone's earnings, revenue and cash flow.
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. So for companies that pay a generous dividend, the TSR is often a lot higher than the share price return. We note that for Caltagirone the TSR over the last 3 years was 48%, 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
Caltagirone shareholders are up 1.1% for the year (even including dividends) . But that was short of the market average. If we look back over five years, the returns are even better, coming in at 6.3% per year for five years. Maybe the share price is just taking a breather while the business executes on its growth strategy. Before forming an opinion on Caltagirone you might want to consider these 3 valuation metrics.
If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of companies that have proven they can grow earnings.
Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on IT exchanges.
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.
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. Thank you for reading.
