Can You Imagine How QPR Software Oyj's (HEL:QPR1V) Shareholders Feel About The 25% Share Price Increase?

QPR Software Oyj (HEL:QPR1V) shareholders might be concerned after seeing the share price drop 24% in the last quarter. But over three years, the returns would have left most investors smiling In the last three years the share price is up, 25%: better than the market.

View our latest analysis for QPR Software Oyj

While the efficient markets hypothesis continues to be taught by some, it has been proven that markets are over-reactive dynamic systems, and investors are not always rational. 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, QPR Software Oyj failed to grow earnings per share, which fell 45% (annualized).

Thus, it seems unlikely that the market is focussed on EPS growth at the moment. Since the change in EPS doesn't seem to correlate with the change in share price, it's worth taking a look at other metrics.

It may well be that QPR Software Oyj revenue growth rate of 3.1% over three years has convinced shareholders to believe in a brighter future. If the company is being managed for the long term good, today's shareholders might be right to hold on.

You can see below how earnings and revenue have changed over time (discover the exact values by clicking on the image).

You can see how its balance sheet has strengthened (or weakened) over time in this free interactive graphic.

What about the Total Shareholder Return (TSR)?

Investors should note that there's a difference between QPR Software Oyj's total shareholder return (TSR) and its share price change, which we've covered above. 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. Dividends have been really beneficial for QPR Software Oyj shareholders, and that cash payout contributed to why its TSR of 27%, over the last 3 years, is better than the share price return.

A Different Perspective

While it's certainly disappointing to see that QPR Software Oyj shares lost 6.8% throughout the year, that wasn't as bad as the market loss of 12%. Of course, the long term returns are far more important and the good news is that over five years, the stock has returned 4.8% for each year. It could be that the business is just facing some short term problems, but shareholders should keep a close eye on the fundamentals. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand QPR Software Oyj better, we need to consider many other factors. Like risks, for instance. Every company has them, and we've spotted 3 warning signs for QPR Software Oyj (of which 1 makes us a bit uncomfortable!) you should know about.

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 FI exchanges.

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.

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