Did You Miss PCAS' (EPA:PCA) 48% Share Price Gain?

These days it's easy to simply buy an index fund, and your returns should (roughly) match the market. But the truth is, you can make significant gains if you buy good quality businesses at the right price. For example, the PCAS SA (EPA:PCA) share price is 48% higher than it was five years ago, which is more than the market average. It's also good to see a healthy gain of 38% in the last year.

See our latest analysis for PCAS

Because PCAS made a loss in the last twelve months, we think the market is probably more focussed on revenue and revenue growth, at least for now. When a company doesn't make profits, we'd generally expect to see good revenue growth. As you can imagine, fast revenue growth, when maintained, often leads to fast profit growth.

For the last half decade, PCAS can boast revenue growth at a rate of 1.5% per year. Put simply, that growth rate fails to impress. While it's hard to say just how much value the company added over five years, the annualised share price gain of 8% seems about right. We'd be looking for the underlying business to grow revenue a bit faster.

The company's revenue and earnings (over time) are depicted in the image below (click to see the exact numbers).

Balance sheet strength is crucial. 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 PCAS' 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 PCAS' TSR of 50% over the last 5 years is better than the share price return.

A Different Perspective

We're pleased to report that PCAS shareholders have received a total shareholder return of 38% over one year. That gain is better than the annual TSR over five years, which is 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. 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 PCAS (at least 1 which is significant) , and understanding them should be part of your investment process.

We will like PCAS 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 FR exchanges.

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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. 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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