Did You Miss Sungchang Autotech's (KOSDAQ:080470) Impressive 102% Share Price Gain?

The worst result, after buying shares in a company (assuming no leverage), would be if you lose all the money you put in. But on the bright side, if you buy shares in a high quality company at the right price, you can gain well over 100%. For example, the Sungchang Autotech Co., Ltd. (KOSDAQ:080470) share price has soared 102% in the last half decade. Most would be very happy with that. In the last week shares have slid back 2.7%.

View our latest analysis for Sungchang Autotech

While Sungchang Autotech made a small profit, in the last year, we think that the market is probably more focussed on the top line growth at the moment. Generally speaking, we'd consider a stock like this alongside loss-making companies, simply because the quantum of the profit is so low. It would be hard to believe in a more profitable future without growing revenues.

In the last 5 years Sungchang Autotech saw its revenue shrink by 3.7% per year. On the other hand, the share price done the opposite, gaining 15%, compound, each year. It's a good reminder that expectations about the future, not the past history, always impact share prices. Still, this situation makes us a little wary of the stock.

The image below shows how earnings and revenue have tracked over time (if you click on the image you can see greater detail).

If you are thinking of buying or selling Sungchang Autotech stock, you should check out this FREE detailed report on its balance sheet.

What About Dividends?

When looking at investment returns, it is important to consider the difference between total shareholder return (TSR) and share price return. Whereas the share price return only reflects the change in the share price, the TSR includes the value of dividends (assuming they were reinvested) and the benefit of any discounted capital raising or spin-off. Arguably, the TSR gives a more comprehensive picture of the return generated by a stock. As it happens, Sungchang Autotech's TSR for the last 5 years was 106%, 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

Sungchang Autotech shareholders are up 9.5% for the year (even including dividends). But that return falls short of the market. If we look back over five years, the returns are even better, coming in at 16% per year for five years. Maybe the share price is just taking a breather while the business executes on its growth strategy. 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. For example, we've discovered 3 warning signs for Sungchang Autotech (1 can't be ignored!) that you should be aware of before investing here.

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 KR 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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