Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:EA) investors are up 4.7% in the past week, but earnings have declined over the last five years
The main point of investing for the long term is to make money. Furthermore, you'd generally like to see the share price rise faster than the market. Unfortunately for shareholders, while the Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA) share price is up 78% in the last five years, that's less than the market return. Looking at the last year alone, the stock is up 11%.
Since the stock has added US$1.8b to its market cap in the past week alone, let's see if underlying performance has been driving long-term returns.
Check out our latest analysis for Electronic Arts
In his essay The Superinvestors of Graham-and-Doddsville Warren Buffett described how share prices do not always rationally reflect the value of a business. 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, Electronic Arts actually saw its EPS drop 8.7% per year.
Essentially, it doesn't seem likely that investors are focused on EPS. Since the change in EPS doesn't seem to correlate with the change in share price, it's worth taking a look at other metrics.
The modest 0.5% dividend yield is unlikely to be propping up the share price. In contrast revenue growth of 4.4% per year is probably viewed as evidence that Electronic Arts is growing, a real positive. It's quite possible that management are prioritizing revenue growth over EPS growth at the moment.
You can see below how earnings and revenue have changed over time (discover the exact values by clicking on the image).
Electronic Arts is well known by investors, and plenty of clever analysts have tried to predict the future profit levels. So it makes a lot of sense to check out what analysts think Electronic Arts will earn in the future (free analyst consensus estimates)
A Different Perspective
Electronic Arts provided a TSR of 12% over the last twelve months. But that return falls short of the market. If we look back over five years, the returns are even better, coming in at 12% per year for five years. Maybe the share price is just taking a breather while the business executes on its growth strategy. 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. Consider risks, for instance. Every company has them, and we've spotted 1 warning sign for Electronic Arts you should know about.
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. 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.
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