Investors Who Bought Sanderson Farms (NASDAQ:SAFM) Shares Three Years Ago Are Now Up 60%

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By buying an index fund, you can roughly match the market return with ease. But many of us dare to dream of bigger returns, and build a portfolio ourselves. For example, Sanderson Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ:SAFM) shareholders have seen the share price rise 60% over three years, well in excess of the market return (38%, not including dividends). On the other hand, the returns haven't been quite so good recently, with shareholders up just 34%, including dividends.

See our latest analysis for Sanderson Farms

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 the last three years, Sanderson Farms failed to grow earnings per share, which fell 26% (annualized). Thus, it seems unlikely that the market is focussed on EPS growth at the moment. Therefore, we think it's worth considering other metrics as well.

Languishing at just 0.9%, we doubt the dividend is doing much to prop up the share price. It could be that the revenue growth of 6.9% per year is viewed as evidence that Sanderson Farms is growing. If the company is being managed for the long term good, today's shareholders might be right to hold on.

Take a more thorough look at Sanderson Farms's financial health with this free report on its balance sheet.

What About Dividends?

As well as measuring the share price return, investors should also consider the total shareholder return (TSR). 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. It's fair to say that the TSR gives a more complete picture for stocks that pay a dividend. We note that for Sanderson Farms the TSR over the last 3 years was 67%, which is better than the share price return mentioned above. This is largely a result of its dividend payments!

A Different Perspective

We're pleased to report that Sanderson Farms shareholders have received a total shareholder return of 34% over one year. Of course, that includes the dividend. That gain is better than the annual TSR over five years, which is 7.9%. Therefore it seems like sentiment around the company has been positive lately. Someone with an optimistic perspective could view the recent improvement in TSR as indicating that the business itself is getting better with time. If you would like to research Sanderson Farms in more detail then you might want to take a look at whether insiders have been buying or selling shares in the company.

For those who like to find winning investments this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket.

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.