Introducing Textron (NYSE:TXT), The Stock That Dropped 33% In The Last Year
It's easy to match the overall market return by buying an index fund. But if you buy individual stocks, you can do both better or worse than that. That downside risk was realized by Textron Inc. (NYSE:TXT) shareholders over the last year, as the share price declined 33%. That falls noticeably short of the market return of around 1.9%. The silver lining (for longer term investors) is that the stock is still 9.1% higher than it was three years ago. There was little comfort for shareholders in the last week as the price declined a further 5.2%.
See our latest analysis for Textron
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. 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.
During the unfortunate twelve months during which the Textron share price fell, it actually saw its earnings per share (EPS) improve by 183%. It could be that the share price was previously over-hyped. It's fair to say that the share price does not seem to be reflecting the EPS growth. So it's well worth checking out some other metrics, too.
Given the yield is quite low, at 0.2%, we doubt the dividend can shed much light on the share price. On the other hand, we're certainly perturbed by the 8.5% decline in Textron's revenue. Many investors see falling revenue as a likely precursor to lower earnings, so this could well explain the weak share price.
The graphic below depicts how earnings and revenue have changed over time (unveil the exact values by clicking on the image).
Textron is a well known stock, with plenty of analyst coverage, suggesting some visibility into future growth. So we recommend checking out this free report showing consensus forecasts
A Different Perspective
Textron shareholders are down 33% for the year (even including dividends), but the market itself is up 1.9%. However, keep in mind that even the best stocks will sometimes underperform the market over a twelve month period. Longer term investors wouldn't be so upset, since they would have made 2.9%, each year, over five years. It could be that the recent sell-off is an opportunity, so it may be worth checking the fundamental data for signs of a long term growth trend. Before deciding if you like the current share price, check how Textron scores on these 3 valuation metrics.
If you like to buy stocks alongside management, then you might just love this free list of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them).
Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on US 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.
