When you buy a stock there is always a possibility that it could drop 100%. But on the bright side, you can make far more than 100% on a really good stock. One great example is NIIT Limited (NSE:NIITLTD) which saw its share price drive 127% higher over five years. On top of that, the share price is up 28% in about a quarter.

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Check out our latest analysis for NIIT

To quote Buffett, 'Ships will sail around the world but the Flat Earth Society will flourish. There will continue to be wide discrepancies between price and value in the marketplace...' One imperfect but simple way to consider how the market perception of a company has shifted is to compare the change in the earnings per share (EPS) with the share price movement.

During the last half decade, NIIT became profitable. Sometimes, the start of profitability is a major inflection point that can signal fast earnings growth to come, which in turn justifies very strong share price gains.

The company's earnings per share (over time) is depicted in the image below (click to see the exact numbers).

We know that NIIT has improved its bottom line over the last three years, but what does the future have in store? Take a more thorough look at NIIT's financial health with this free report on its balance sheet.

What about the Total Shareholder Return (TSR)?

We'd be remiss not to mention the difference between NIIT's total shareholder return (TSR) and its 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. Its history of dividend payouts mean that NIIT's TSR of 134% over the last 5 years is better than the share price return.

A Different Perspective

We're pleased to report that NIIT shareholders have received a total shareholder return of 7.5% over one year. However, the TSR over five years, coming in at 18% per year, is even more impressive. The pessimistic view would be that be that the stock has its best days behind it, but on the other hand the price might simply be moderating while the business itself continues to execute. If you would like to research NIIT in more detail then you might want to take a look at whether insiders have been buying or selling shares in the company.

We will like NIIT better if we see some big insider buys. While we wait, check out this free list of growing companies with considerable, recent, insider buying.

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