Tongtai Machine & Tool (TWSE:4526) shareholder returns have been impressive, earning 102% in 5 years

These days it's easy to simply buy an index fund, and your returns should (roughly) match the market. But in our experience, buying the right stocks can give your wealth a significant boost. For example, the Tongtai Machine & Tool Co., Ltd. (TWSE:4526) share price is up 93% in the last five years, slightly above the market return. It's fair to say the stock has continued its long term trend in the last year, over which it has risen 78%.

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

Check out our latest analysis for Tongtai Machine & Tool

Tongtai Machine & Tool isn't currently profitable, so most analysts would look to revenue growth to get an idea of how fast the underlying business is growing. Shareholders of unprofitable companies usually desire strong revenue growth. As you can imagine, fast revenue growth, when maintained, often leads to fast profit growth.

Over the last half decade Tongtai Machine & Tool's revenue has actually been trending down at about 8.0% per year. Even though revenue hasn't increased, the stock actually gained 14%, per year, during the same period. It's probably worth checking other factors such as the profitability, to try to understand the share price action. It may not be reflecting the revenue.

The graphic below depicts how earnings and revenue have changed over time (unveil the exact values by clicking on the image).

If you are thinking of buying or selling Tongtai Machine & Tool stock, you should check out this FREE detailed report on its balance sheet.

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. So for companies that pay a generous dividend, the TSR is often a lot higher than the share price return. In the case of Tongtai Machine & Tool, it has a TSR of 102% for the last 5 years. That exceeds its share price return that we previously mentioned. And there's no prize for guessing that the dividend payments largely explain the divergence!

A Different Perspective

We're pleased to report that Tongtai Machine & Tool shareholders have received a total shareholder return of 79% over one year. That's including the dividend. That gain is better than the annual TSR over five years, which is 15%. Therefore it seems like sentiment around the company has been positive lately. In the best case scenario, this may hint at some real business momentum, implying that now could be a great time to delve deeper. 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. Even so, be aware that Tongtai Machine & Tool is showing 2 warning signs in our investment analysis , and 1 of those shouldn't be ignored...

If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of companies that have proven they can grow earnings.

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