How Much Did Caisse Regionale de Credit Agricole Mutuel Toulouse 31's(EPA:CAT31) Shareholders Earn From Share Price Movements Over The Last Year?

Passive investing in an index fund is a good way to ensure your own returns roughly match the overall market. Active investors aim to buy stocks that vastly outperform the market - but in the process, they risk under-performance. That downside risk was realized by Caisse Regionale de Credit Agricole Mutuel Toulouse 31 (EPA:CAT31) shareholders over the last year, as the share price declined 36%. That's well below the market return of 5.0%. However, the longer term returns haven't been so bad, with the stock down 17% in the last three years. Unfortunately the share price momentum is still quite negative, with prices down 11% in thirty days.

See our latest analysis for Caisse Regionale de Credit Agricole Mutuel Toulouse 31

There is no denying that markets are sometimes efficient, but prices do not always reflect underlying business performance. By comparing earnings per share (EPS) and share price changes over time, we can get a feel for how investor attitudes to a company have morphed over time.

Unfortunately Caisse Regionale de Credit Agricole Mutuel Toulouse 31 reported an EPS drop of 52% for the last year. This fall in the EPS is significantly worse than the 36% the share price fall. So the market may not be too worried about the EPS figure, at the moment -- or it may have expected earnings to drop faster.

The graphic below depicts how EPS has changed over time (unveil the exact values by clicking on the image).

Dive deeper into Caisse Regionale de Credit Agricole Mutuel Toulouse 31's key metrics by checking this interactive graph of Caisse Regionale de Credit Agricole Mutuel Toulouse 31'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. Arguably, the TSR gives a more comprehensive picture of the return generated by a stock. As it happens, Caisse Regionale de Credit Agricole Mutuel Toulouse 31's TSR for the last year was -33%, which exceeds the share price return mentioned earlier. And there's no prize for guessing that the dividend payments largely explain the divergence!

A Different Perspective

Investors in Caisse Regionale de Credit Agricole Mutuel Toulouse 31 had a tough year, with a total loss of 33% (including dividends), against a market gain of about 5.0%. Even the share prices of good stocks drop sometimes, but we want to see improvements in the fundamental metrics of a business, before getting too interested. Longer term investors wouldn't be so upset, since they would have made 5%, each year, over five years. If the fundamental data continues to indicate long term sustainable growth, the current sell-off could be an opportunity worth considering. While it is well worth considering the different impacts that market conditions can have on the share price, there are other factors that are even more important. Consider for instance, the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 3 warning signs with Caisse Regionale de Credit Agricole Mutuel Toulouse 31 (at least 1 which shouldn't be ignored) , and understanding them should be part of your investment process.

If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of companies that have proven they can grow earnings.

Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on FR exchanges.

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