If you buy and hold a stock for many years, you’d hope to be making a profit. But more than that, you probably want to see it rise more than the market average. Unfortunately for shareholders, while the New England Realty Associates Limited Partnership (NYSEMKT:NEN) share price is up 22% in the last five years, that’s less than the market return. Zooming in, the stock is actually down 8.5% in the last year.
Check out our latest analysis for New England Realty Associates Limited Partnership
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. 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.
Over half a decade, New England Realty Associates Limited Partnership managed to grow its earnings per share at 61% a year. This EPS growth is higher than the 4.0% average annual increase in the share price. So it seems the market isn’t so enthusiastic about the stock these days.
Dive deeper into New England Realty Associates Limited Partnership’s key metrics by checking this interactive graph of New England Realty Associates Limited Partnership’s earnings, revenue and cash flow.
What About Dividends?
It is important to consider the total shareholder return, as well as the share price return, for any given stock. 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. In the case of New England Realty Associates Limited Partnership, it has a TSR of 37% for the last 5 years. That exceeds its share price return that we previously mentioned. The dividends paid by the company have thusly boosted the total shareholder return.
A Different Perspective
While the broader market gained around 2.2% in the last year, New England Realty Associates Limited Partnership shareholders lost 6.7% (even including dividends). However, keep in mind that even the best stocks will sometimes underperform the market over a twelve month period. On the bright side, long term shareholders have made money, with a gain of 6.6% per year over half a decade. 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. Most investors take the time to check the data on insider transactions. You can click here to see if insiders have been buying or selling.
Of course New England Realty Associates Limited Partnership may not be the best stock to buy. So you may wish to see this free collection of growth stocks.
Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on US exchanges.
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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.