Did You Participate In Any Of LiveChat Software's (WSE:LVC) Incredible 415% Return?

Generally speaking, investors are inspired to be stock pickers by the potential to find the big winners. But when you hold the right stock for the right time period, the rewards can be truly huge. Take, for example, the LiveChat Software S.A. (WSE:LVC) share price, which skyrocketed 343% over three years. And in the last month, the share price has gained 9.4%. We note that LiveChat Software reported its financial results recently; luckily, you can catch up on the latest revenue and profit numbers in our company report.

See our latest analysis for LiveChat Software

While markets are a powerful pricing mechanism, share prices reflect investor sentiment, not just underlying business performance. One imperfect but simple way to consider how the market perception of a company has shifted is to compare the change in the earnings per share (EPS) with the share price movement.

LiveChat Software was able to grow its EPS at 28% per year over three years, sending the share price higher. This EPS growth is lower than the 64% average annual increase in the share price. This indicates that the market is feeling more optimistic on the stock, after the last few years of progress. It is quite common to see investors become enamoured with a business, after a few years of solid progress.

The graphic below depicts how EPS has changed over time (unveil the exact values by clicking on the image).

We know that LiveChat Software has improved its bottom line lately, but is it going to grow revenue? Check if analysts think LiveChat Software will grow revenue in the future.

What About Dividends?

As well as measuring the share price return, investors should also consider the total shareholder return (TSR). 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. Arguably, the TSR gives a more comprehensive picture of the return generated by a stock. We note that for LiveChat Software the TSR over the last 3 years was 415%, which is better than the share price return mentioned above. This is largely a result of its dividend payments!

A Different Perspective

It's nice to see that LiveChat Software shareholders have received a total shareholder return of 98% over the last year. Of course, that includes the dividend. That's better than the annualised return of 31% over half a decade, implying that the company is doing better recently. Given the share price momentum remains strong, it might be worth taking a closer look at the stock, lest you miss an opportunity. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand LiveChat Software better, we need to consider many other factors. For example, we've discovered 1 warning sign for LiveChat Software that you should be aware of before investing here.

But note: LiveChat Software may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with past earnings growth (and further growth forecast).

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