If You Had Bought Pharmanutra (BIT:PHN) Stock A Year Ago, You Could Pocket A 32% Gain Today

If you want to compound wealth in the stock market, you can do so by buying an index fund. But you can significantly boost your returns by picking above-average stocks. For example, the Pharmanutra S.p.A. (BIT:PHN) share price is up 32% in the last year, clearly besting than the market return of around -4.0% (not including dividends). So that should have shareholders smiling. We'll need to follow Pharmanutra for a while to get a better sense of its share price trend, since it hasn't been listed for particularly long.

View our latest analysis for Pharmanutra

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

During the last year Pharmanutra grew its earnings per share (EPS) by 42%. This EPS growth is significantly higher than the 32% increase in the share price. So it seems like the market has cooled on Pharmanutra, despite the growth. Interesting.

We know that Pharmanutra has improved its bottom line over the last three years, but what does the future have in store? This free interactive report on Pharmanutra's balance sheet strength is a great place to start, if you want to investigate the stock further.

What About Dividends?

When looking at investment returns, it is important to consider the difference between total shareholder return (TSR) and share price return. 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. It's fair to say that the TSR gives a more complete picture for stocks that pay a dividend. We note that for Pharmanutra the TSR over the last year was 36%, which is better than the share price return mentioned above. The dividends paid by the company have thusly boosted the total shareholder return.

A Different Perspective

It's nice to see that Pharmanutra shareholders have gained 36% over the last year, including dividends. A substantial portion of that gain has come in the last three months, with the stock up 14% in that time. This suggests the company is continuing to win over new investors. Is Pharmanutra cheap compared to other companies? These 3 valuation measures might help you decide.

Of course Pharmanutra may not be the best stock to buy. So you may wish to see this free collection of growth stocks.

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

We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.

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. Thank you for reading.