The HarborOne Bancorp (NASDAQ:HONE) Share Price Is Up 20% And Shareholders Are Holding On

Simply Wall St
·3 min read

There's no doubt that investing in the stock market is a truly brilliant way to build wealth. But if when you choose to buy stocks, some of them will be below average performers. For example, the HarborOne Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:HONE), share price is up over the last year, but its gain of 20% trails the market return. However, the longer term returns haven't been so impressive, with the stock up just 9.5% in the last three years.

See our latest analysis for HarborOne Bancorp

While markets are a powerful pricing mechanism, share prices reflect investor sentiment, not just underlying business performance. 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.

During the last year HarborOne Bancorp grew its earnings per share (EPS) by 151%. It's fair to say that the share price gain of 20% did not keep pace with the EPS growth. So it seems like the market has cooled on HarborOne Bancorp, despite the growth. Interesting.

You can see below how EPS has changed over time (discover the exact values by clicking on the image).

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

We consider it positive that insiders have made significant purchases in the last year. Having said that, most people consider earnings and revenue growth trends to be a more meaningful guide to the business. Before buying or selling a stock, we always recommend a close examination of historic growth trends, available here..

A Different Perspective

HarborOne Bancorp produced a TSR of 21% over the last year. Unfortunately this falls short of the market return of around 42%. On the other hand, the TSR over three years was worse, at just 3% per year. This suggests the company's position is improving. If the share price is up as a result of improved business performance, then this kind of improvement may be sustained. 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. Case in point: We've spotted 1 warning sign for HarborOne Bancorp you should be aware of.

HarborOne Bancorp is not the only stock that insiders are buying. For those who like to find winning investments this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket.

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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