The 380% return delivered to VT's (KOSDAQ:018290) shareholders actually lagged YoY earnings growth

Active investing isn't easy, but for those that do it, the aim is to find the best companies to buy, and to profit handsomely. When you find (and hold) a big winner, you can markedly improve your finances. In the case of VT Co., Ltd. (KOSDAQ:018290), the share price is up an incredible 380% in the last year alone. On top of that, the share price is up 124% in about a quarter. The company reported its financial results recently; you can catch up on the latest numbers by reading our company report. Looking back further, the stock price is 269% higher than it was three years ago.

Since it's been a strong week for VT shareholders, let's have a look at trend of the longer term fundamentals.

Check out our latest analysis for VT

To paraphrase Benjamin Graham: Over the short term the market is a voting machine, but over the long term it's a weighing machine. One way to examine how market sentiment has changed over time is to look at the interaction between a company's share price and its earnings per share (EPS).

During the last year VT saw its earnings per share (EPS) increase strongly. We don't think the exact number is a good guide to the sustainable growth rate, but we do think this sort of increase is impressive. So we'd expect to see the share price higher. We're real advocates of letting inflection points like this guide our research as stock pickers.

You can see how EPS has changed over time in the image below (click on the chart to see the exact values).

We know that VT has improved its bottom line over the last three years, but what does the future have in store? It might be well worthwhile taking a look at our free report on how its financial position has changed over time.

A Different Perspective

It's nice to see that VT shareholders have received a total shareholder return of 380% over the last year. Since the one-year TSR is better than the five-year TSR (the latter coming in at 28% per year), it would seem that the stock's performance has improved in recent times. Given the share price momentum remains strong, it might be worth taking a closer look at the stock, lest you miss an opportunity. 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. Even so, be aware that VT is showing 2 warning signs in our investment analysis , you should know about...

We will like VT better if we see some big insider buys. While we wait, check out this free list of undervalued stocks (mostly small caps) 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 South Korean exchanges.

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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.