The five-year returns have been notable for Fincantieri (BIT:FCT) shareholders despite underlying losses increasing

When we invest, we're generally looking for stocks that outperform the market average. And in our experience, buying the right stocks can give your wealth a significant boost. To wit, the Fincantieri share price has climbed 74% in five years, easily topping the market return of 26% (ignoring dividends). However, more recent returns haven't been as impressive as that, with the stock returning just 35% in the last year.

Since the stock has added €70m to its market cap in the past week alone, let's see if underlying performance has been driving long-term returns.

See our latest analysis for Fincantieri

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. 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.

We know that Fincantieri has been profitable in the past. However, it made a loss in the last twelve months, suggesting profit may be an unreliable metric at this stage. So we might find other metrics can better explain the share price movements.

On the other hand, Fincantieri's revenue is growing nicely, at a compound rate of 7.8% over the last five years. It's quite possible that management are prioritizing revenue growth over EPS growth at the moment.

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

This free interactive report on Fincantieri's balance sheet strength is a great place to start, if you want to investigate the stock further.

What about the Total Shareholder Return (TSR)?

We've already covered Fincantieri's share price action, but we should also mention its total shareholder return (TSR). 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. Fincantieri's TSR of 77% for the 5 years exceeded its share price return, because it has paid dividends.

A Different Perspective

Fincantieri's TSR for the year was broadly in line with the market average, at 35%. Most would be happy with a gain, and it helps that the year's return is actually better than the average return over five years, which was 12%. Even if the share price growth slows down from here, there's a good chance that this is business worth watching in the long term. I find it very interesting to look at share price over the long term as a proxy for business performance. But to truly gain insight, we need to consider other information, too. Take risks, for example - Fincantieri has 1 warning sign we think you should be aware of.

If you are like me, then you will not want to miss this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying.

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