Despite the downward trend in earnings at MYR Group (NASDAQ:MYRG) the stock rallies 25%, bringing five-year gains to 470%

We think all investors should try to buy and hold high quality multi-year winners. And we've seen some truly amazing gains over the years. For example, the MYR Group Inc. (NASDAQ:MYRG) share price is up a whopping 470% in the last half decade, a handsome return for long term holders. This just goes to show the value creation that some businesses can achieve. And in the last month, the share price has gained 29%. This could be related to the recent financial results that were recently released - you could check the most recent data by reading our company report.

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

Our free stock report includes 1 warning sign investors should be aware of before investing in MYR Group. Read for free now.

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, MYR Group actually saw its EPS drop 1.6% per year.

By glancing at these numbers, we'd posit that the decline in earnings per share is not representative of how the business has changed over the years. Therefore, it's worth taking a look at other metrics to try to understand the share price movements.

In contrast revenue growth of 12% per year is probably viewed as evidence that MYR Group is growing, a real positive. It's quite possible that management are prioritizing revenue growth over EPS growth at the moment.

The company's revenue and earnings (over time) are depicted in the image below (click to see the exact numbers).

We like that insiders have been buying shares in the last twelve months. Even so, future earnings will be far more important to whether current shareholders make money. So we recommend checking out this free report showing consensus forecasts

A Different Perspective

MYR Group shareholders are up 7.4% for the year. But that was short of the market average. It's probably a good sign that the company has an even better long term track record, having provided shareholders with an annual TSR of 42% over five years. It's quite possible the business continues to execute with prowess, even as the share price gains are slowing. 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. For example, we've discovered 1 warning sign for MYR Group that you should be aware of before investing here.

MYR Group is not the only stock that insiders are buying. For those who like to find lesser know companies this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket.

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