Shareholders Of Pan-United (SGX:P52) Have Received 21% On Their Investment

Ideally, your overall portfolio should beat the market average. But even in a market-beating portfolio, some stocks will lag the market. While the Pan-United Corporation Ltd (SGX:P52) share price is down 54% over half a decade, the total return to shareholders (which includes dividends) was 21%. And that total return actually beats the market decline of 9.6%. There was little comfort for shareholders in the last week as the price declined a further 3.3%.

Check out our latest analysis for Pan-United

To quote Buffett, 'Ships will sail around the world but the Flat Earth Society will flourish. There will continue to be wide discrepancies between price and value in the marketplace...' 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 five years of share price growth, Pan-United moved from a loss to profitability. That would generally be considered a positive, so we are surprised to see the share price is down. Other metrics might give us a better handle on how its value is changing over time.

The revenue decline of 0.1% isn't too bad. But if the market expected durable top line growth, then that could explain the share price weakness.

You can see below how earnings and revenue have changed over time (discover the exact values by clicking on the image).

You can see how its balance sheet has strengthened (or weakened) over time in this free interactive graphic.

What about the Total Shareholder Return (TSR)?

We'd be remiss not to mention the difference between Pan-United's total shareholder return (TSR) and its share price return. The TSR attempts to capture the value of dividends (as if they were reinvested) as well as any spin-offs or discounted capital raisings offered to shareholders. Its history of dividend payouts mean that Pan-United's TSR of 21% over the last 5 years is better than the share price return.

A Different Perspective

While the broader market lost about 9.6% in the twelve months, Pan-United shareholders did even worse, losing 16%. 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. On the bright side, long term shareholders have made money, with a gain of 4% per year over half a decade. If the fundamental data continues to indicate long term sustainable growth, the current sell-off could be an opportunity worth considering. 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. Take risks, for example - Pan-United has 2 warning signs (and 1 which is a bit unpleasant) we think you should know about.

We will like Pan-United better if we see some big insider buys. While we wait, check out this free list of growing companies 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 SG 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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