Investors Who Bought ESR-REIT (SGX:J91U) Shares Five Years Ago Are Now Down 30%

For many, the main point of investing is to generate higher returns than the overall market. But the main game is to find enough winners to more than offset the losers So we wouldn't blame long term ESR-REIT (SGX:J91U) shareholders for doubting their decision to hold, with the stock down 30% over a half decade.

See our latest analysis for ESR-REIT

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

ESR-REIT has made a profit in the past. However, it made a loss in the last twelve months, suggesting profit may be an unreliable metric at this stage. Other metrics might give us a better handle on how its value is changing over time.

The most recent dividend was actually lower than it was in the past, so that may have sent the share price lower.

The graphic below shows how revenue and earnings have changed as management guided the business forward. If you want to see cashflow, you can click on the chart.

SGX:J91U Income Statement, April 26th 2019
SGX:J91U Income Statement, April 26th 2019

This free interactive report on ESR-REIT's balance sheet strength is a great place to start, if you want to investigate the stock further.

What About Dividends?

When looking at investment returns, it is important to consider the difference between total shareholder return (TSR) and share price return. 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. So for companies that pay a generous dividend, the TSR is often a lot higher than the share price return. As it happens, ESR-REIT's TSR for the last 5 years was -0.6%, which exceeds the share price return mentioned earlier. And there's no prize for guessing that the dividend payments largely explain the divergence!

A Different Perspective

We're pleased to report that ESR-REIT shareholders have received a total shareholder return of 4.0% over one year. Of course, that includes the dividend. There's no doubt those recent returns are much better than the TSR loss of 0.1% per year over five years. This makes us a little wary, but the business might have turned around its fortunes. Before forming an opinion on ESR-REIT you might want to consider the cold hard cash it pays as a dividend. This free chart tracks its dividend over time.

But note: ESR-REIT may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with past earnings growth (and further growth forecast).

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