First Seacoast Bancorp's (NASDAQ:FSEA) investors will be pleased with their 19% return over the last year

The simplest way to invest in stocks is to buy exchange traded funds. But if you pick the right individual stocks, you could make more than that. To wit, the First Seacoast Bancorp (NASDAQ:FSEA) share price is 19% higher than it was a year ago, much better than the market return of around 14% (not including dividends) in the same period. If it can keep that out-performance up over the long term, investors will do very well! Note that businesses generally develop over the long term, so the returns over the last year might not reflect a long term trend.

So let's assess the underlying fundamentals over the last 1 year and see if they've moved in lock-step with shareholder returns.

See our latest analysis for First Seacoast Bancorp

To paraphrase Benjamin Graham: Over the short term the market is a voting machine, but over the long term it's a weighing machine. By comparing earnings per share (EPS) and share price changes over time, we can get a feel for how investor attitudes to a company have morphed over time.

First Seacoast Bancorp was able to grow EPS by 60% in the last twelve months. It's fair to say that the share price gain of 19% did not keep pace with the EPS growth. So it seems like the market has cooled on First Seacoast Bancorp, despite the growth. Interesting.

You can see how EPS has changed over time in the image below (click on the chart to see the exact values).

earnings-per-share-growth
earnings-per-share-growth

It's probably worth noting that the CEO is paid less than the median at similar sized companies. But while CEO remuneration is always worth checking, the really important question is whether the company can grow earnings going forward. This free interactive report on First Seacoast Bancorp's earnings, revenue and cash flow is a great place to start, if you want to investigate the stock further.

A Different Perspective

First Seacoast Bancorp shareholders should be happy with the total gain of 19% over the last twelve months. And the share price momentum remains respectable, with a gain of 10% in the last three months. Demand for the stock from multiple parties is pushing the price higher; it could be that word is getting out about its virtues as a business. I find it very interesting to look at share price over the long term as a proxy for business performance. But to truly gain insight, we need to consider other information, too. For example, we've discovered 1 warning sign for First Seacoast Bancorp that you should be aware of before investing here.

Of course First Seacoast Bancorp may not be the best stock to buy. So you may wish to see this free collection of growth stocks.

Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on US 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.