Arconic (NYSE:ARNC) Shareholders Booked A 17% Gain In The Last Year

Want to participate in a short research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card!

Passive investing in index funds can generate returns that roughly match the overall market. But if you pick the right individual stocks, you could make more than that. To wit, the Arconic Inc. (NYSE:ARNC) share price is 17% higher than it was a year ago, much better than the market return of around 9.4% (not including dividends) in the same period. That's a solid performance by our standards! Arconic hasn't been listed for long, so it's still not clear if it is a long term winner.

Check out our latest analysis for Arconic

There is no denying that markets are sometimes efficient, but prices do not always reflect underlying business performance. 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 the last year Arconic grew its earnings per share, moving from a loss to a profit. When a company is just on the edge of profitability it can be well worth considering other metrics in order to more precisely gauge growth (and therefore understand share price movements).

We are skeptical of the suggestion that the 0.4% dividend yield would entice buyers to the stock. We think that the revenue growth of 8.1% could have some investors interested. Many businesses do go through a faze where they have to forgo some profits to drive business development, and sometimes its for the best.

Depicted in the graphic below, you'll see revenue and earnings over time. If you want more detail, you can click on the chart itself.

We're pleased to report that the CEO is remunerated more modestly than most CEOs at similarly capitalized companies. It's always worth keeping an eye on CEO pay, but a more important question is whether the company will grow earnings throughout the years. So it makes a lot of sense to check out what analysts think Arconic will earn in the future (free profit forecasts).

A Different Perspective

Arconic boasts a total shareholder return of 19% for the last year(that includes the dividends). And the share price momentum remains respectable, with a gain of 11% in the last three months. This suggests the company is continuing to win over new investors. Most investors take the time to check the data on insider transactions. You can click here to see if insiders have been buying or selling.

For those who like to find winning investments this freelist of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket.

We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. 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. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.