Topps Tiles Plc (LON:TPT) shareholders should be happy to see the share price up 14% in the last quarter. But don’t envy holders — looking back over 5 years the returns have been really bad. In that time the share price has delivered a rude shock to holders, who find themselves down 74% after a long stretch. So we’re not so sure if the recent bounce should be celebrated. However, in the best case scenario (far from fait accompli), this improved performance might be sustained.
See our latest analysis for Topps Tiles
To paraphrase Benjamin Graham: Over the short term the market is a voting machine, but over the long term it’s a weighing machine. 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 five years over which the share price declined, Topps Tiles’ earnings per share (EPS) dropped by 28% each year. The share price decline of 23% per year isn’t as bad as the EPS decline. So investors might expect EPS to bounce back — or they may have previously foreseen the EPS decline.
You can see how EPS has changed over time in the image below (click on the chart to see the exact values).
It might be well worthwhile taking a look at our free report on Topps Tiles’ earnings, revenue and cash flow.
What about the Total Shareholder Return (TSR)?
We’ve already covered Topps Tiles’ share price action, but we should also mention its total shareholder return (TSR). Arguably the TSR is a more complete return calculation because it accounts for the value of dividends (as if they were reinvested), along with the hypothetical value of any discounted capital that have been offered to shareholders. Topps Tiles’ TSR of was a loss of 68% for the 5 years. That wasn’t as bad as its share price return, because it has paid dividends.
A Different Perspective
While the broader market lost about 8.8% in the twelve months, Topps Tiles shareholders did even worse, losing 30%. Having said that, it’s inevitable that some stocks will be oversold in a falling market. The key is to keep your eyes on the fundamental developments. Regrettably, last year’s performance caps off a bad run, with the shareholders facing a total loss of 11% per year over five years. We realise that Baron Rothschild has said investors should “buy when there is blood on the streets”, but we caution that investors should first be sure they are buying a high quality 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. Consider for instance, the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We’ve identified 3 warning signs with Topps Tiles (at least 2 which are potentially serious) , and understanding them should be part of your investment process.
But note: Topps Tiles 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 GB exchanges.
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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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