Did You Miss Hostess Brands' (NASDAQ:TWNK) 50% Share Price Gain?

The main point of investing for the long term is to make money. Better yet, you'd like to see the share price move up more than the market average. But Hostess Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ:TWNK) has fallen short of that second goal, with a share price rise of 50% over five years, which is below the market return. Over the last twelve months the stock price has risen a very respectable 13%.

See our latest analysis for Hostess Brands

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...' By comparing earnings per share (EPS) and share price changes over time, we can get a feel for how investor attitudes to a company have morphed over time.

During the last half decade, Hostess Brands became profitable. That's generally thought to be a genuine positive, so we would expect to see an increasing share price.

The graphic below depicts how EPS has changed over time (unveil the exact values by clicking on the image).

Dive deeper into Hostess Brands' key metrics by checking this interactive graph of Hostess Brands's earnings, revenue and cash flow.

A Different Perspective

Hostess Brands shareholders gained a total return of 13% during the year. But that was short of the market average. The silver lining is that the gain was actually better than the average annual return of 8% per year over five year. This could indicate that the company is winning over new investors, as it pursues its strategy. 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 2 warning signs for Hostess Brands (1 shouldn't be ignored!) that you should be aware of before investing here.

Of course Hostess Brands may not be the best stock to buy. So you may wish to see this free collection of growth stocks.

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

If you decide to trade Hostess Brands, use the lowest-cost* platform that is rated #1 Overall by Barron’s, Interactive Brokers. Trade stocks, options, futures, forex, bonds and funds on 135 markets, all from a single integrated account. Promoted

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.
^*Interactive Brokers Rated Lowest Cost Broker by StockBrokers.com Annual Online Review 2020

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.