Melco Resorts & Entertainment's(NASDAQ:MLCO) Share Price Is Down 37% Over The Past Three Years.

While it may not be enough for some shareholders, we think it is good to see the Melco Resorts & Entertainment Limited (NASDAQ:MLCO) share price up 20% in a single quarter. But that doesn't help the fact that the three year return is less impressive. After all, the share price is down 37% in the last three years, significantly under-performing the market.

Check out our latest analysis for Melco Resorts & Entertainment

While markets are a powerful pricing mechanism, share prices reflect investor sentiment, not just underlying business performance. 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.

Melco Resorts & Entertainment saw its share price decline over the three years in which its EPS also dropped, falling to a loss. Since the company has fallen to a loss making position, it's hard to compare the change in EPS with the share price change. However, we can say we'd expect to see a falling share price in this scenario.

The company's earnings per share (over time) is depicted in the image below (click to see the exact numbers).

Before buying or selling a stock, we always recommend a close examination of historic growth trends, available here.

What about the Total Shareholder Return (TSR)?

Investors should note that there's a difference between Melco Resorts & Entertainment's total shareholder return (TSR) and its share price change, which we've covered above. Arguably the TSR is a more complete return calculation because it accounts for the value of dividends (as if they were reinvested), along with the hypothetical value of any discounted capital that have been offered to shareholders. Its history of dividend payouts mean that Melco Resorts & Entertainment's TSR, which was a 33% drop over the last 3 years, was not as bad as the share price return.

A Different Perspective

Melco Resorts & Entertainment shareholders are up 35% for the year. But that return falls short of the market. On the bright side, that's still a gain, and it's actually better than the average return of 8% over half a decade This could indicate that the company is winning over new investors, as it pursues its strategy. While it is well worth considering the different impacts that market conditions can have on the share price, there are other factors that are even more important. For example, we've discovered 1 warning sign for Melco Resorts & Entertainment that you should be aware of before investing here.

But note: Melco Resorts & Entertainment 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 US 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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