Middle East Healthcare's (TADAWUL:4009) 19% CAGR outpaced the company's earnings growth over the same five-year period

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 a lighter note, a good company can see its share price rise well over 100%. For example, the Middle East Healthcare Company (TADAWUL:4009) share price has soared 141% in the last half decade. Most would be very happy with that. Meanwhile the share price is 4.5% higher than it was a week ago.

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

View our latest analysis for Middle East Healthcare

While the efficient markets hypothesis continues to be taught by some, it has been proven that markets are over-reactive dynamic systems, and investors are not always rational. 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.

Over half a decade, Middle East Healthcare managed to grow its earnings per share at 18% a year. This EPS growth is remarkably close to the 19% average annual increase in the share price. This indicates that investor sentiment towards the company has not changed a great deal. In fact, the share price seems to largely reflect the EPS growth.

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

We know that Middle East Healthcare has improved its bottom line over the last three years, but what does the future have in store? You can see how its balance sheet has strengthened (or weakened) over time in this free interactive graphic.

A Different Perspective

We regret to report that Middle East Healthcare shareholders are down 20% for the year. Unfortunately, that's worse than the broader market decline of 4.9%. Having said that, it's inevitable that some stocks will be oversold in a falling market. The key is to keep your eyes on the fundamental developments. Longer term investors wouldn't be so upset, since they would have made 19%, each year, over five years. If the fundamental data continues to indicate long term sustainable growth, the current sell-off could be an opportunity worth considering. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand Middle East Healthcare better, we need to consider many other factors. To that end, you should be aware of the 1 warning sign we've spotted with Middle East Healthcare .

But note: Middle East Healthcare 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 Saudi 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.