AS Ekspress Grupp's (TAL:EEG1T) earnings growth rate lags the 154% return delivered to shareholders

It's been a soft week for AS Ekspress Grupp (TAL:EEG1T) shares, which are down 10%. But that doesn't detract from the splendid returns of the last year. During that period, the share price soared a full 140%. So some might not be surprised to see the price retrace some. Investors should be wondering whether the business itself has the fundamental value required to continue to drive gains.

Since the long term performance has been good but there's been a recent pullback of 10%, let's check if the fundamentals match the share price.

Check out our latest analysis for AS Ekspress Grupp

There is no denying that markets are sometimes efficient, but prices do not always reflect underlying business performance. 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.

AS Ekspress Grupp was able to grow EPS by 110% in the last twelve months. This EPS growth is significantly lower than the 140% increase in the share price. So it's fair to assume the market has a higher opinion of the business than it a year ago.

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

It is of course excellent to see how AS Ekspress Grupp has grown profits over the years, but the future is more important for shareholders. It might be well worthwhile taking a look at our free report on how its financial position has changed over time.

What about the Total Shareholder Return (TSR)?

Investors should note that there's a difference between AS Ekspress Grupp's total shareholder return (TSR) and its share price change, which we've covered above. 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 AS Ekspress Grupp's TSR of 154% over the last 1 year is better than the share price return.

A Different Perspective

It's nice to see that AS Ekspress Grupp shareholders have received a total shareholder return of 154% over the last year. That gain is better than the annual TSR over five years, which is 8%. Therefore it seems like sentiment around the company has been positive lately. Given the share price momentum remains strong, it might be worth taking a closer look at the stock, lest you miss an opportunity. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand AS Ekspress Grupp better, we need to consider many other factors. For example, we've discovered 4 warning signs for AS Ekspress Grupp (1 shouldn't be ignored!) that you should be aware of before investing here.

We will like AS Ekspress Grupp 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 EE exchanges.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. 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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