Did You Miss Smith-Midland's (NASDAQ:SMID) Whopping 485% Share Price Gain?
Long term investing can be life changing when you buy and hold the truly great businesses. While not every stock performs well, when investors win, they can win big. To wit, the Smith-Midland Corporation (NASDAQ:SMID) share price has soared 485% over five years. If that doesn't get you thinking about long term investing, we don't know what will. And in the last month, the share price has gained 11%. We note that Smith-Midland reported its financial results recently; luckily, you can catch up on the latest revenue and profit numbers in our company report.
View our latest analysis for Smith-Midland
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, Smith-Midland achieved compound earnings per share (EPS) growth of 29% per year. This EPS growth is slower than the share price growth of 42% per year, over the same period. So it's fair to assume the market has a higher opinion of the business than it did five years ago. And that's hardly shocking given the track record of growth.
You can see how EPS has changed over time in the image below (click on the chart to see the exact values).
This free interactive report on Smith-Midland's earnings, revenue and cash flow is a great place to start, if you want to investigate the stock further.
What about the Total Shareholder Return (TSR)?
Investors should note that there's a difference between Smith-Midland's total shareholder return (TSR) and its share price change, which we've covered above. 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. Dividends have been really beneficial for Smith-Midland shareholders, and that cash payout contributed to why its TSR of 501%, over the last 5 years, is better than the share price return.
A Different Perspective
We're pleased to report that Smith-Midland shareholders have received a total shareholder return of 208% over one year. That's better than the annualised return of 43% over half a decade, implying that the company is doing better recently. In the best case scenario, this may hint at some real business momentum, implying that now could be a great time to delve deeper. 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. Take risks, for example - Smith-Midland has 1 warning sign we think you should be aware of.
If you are like me, then you will not want to miss this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying.
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.
Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.
