The 6.0% return this week takes ServiceNow's (NYSE:NOW) shareholders five-year gains to 188%

When you buy a stock there is always a possibility that it could drop 100%. But on the bright side, you can make far more than 100% on a really good stock. One great example is ServiceNow, Inc. (NYSE:NOW) which saw its share price drive 188% higher over five years. It's also up 8.4% in about a month. But this could be related to good market conditions -- stocks in its market are up 7.2% in the last month.

Since the stock has added US$9.0b to its market cap in the past week alone, let's see if underlying performance has been driving long-term returns.

Check out our latest analysis for ServiceNow

While markets are a powerful pricing mechanism, share prices reflect investor sentiment, not just 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 half decade, ServiceNow became profitable. That kind of transition can be an inflection point that justifies a strong share price gain, just as we have seen here. Since the company was unprofitable five years ago, but not three years ago, it's worth taking a look at the returns in the last three years, too. We can see that the ServiceNow share price is up 63% in the last three years. In the same period, EPS is up 129% per year. This EPS growth is higher than the 18% average annual increase in the share price over the same three years. Therefore, it seems the market has moderated its expectations for growth, somewhat. Of course, with a P/E ratio of 82.47, the market remains optimistic.

You can see how EPS has changed over time in the image below (click on the chart to see the exact values).

We know that ServiceNow has improved its bottom line over the last three years, but what does the future have in store? It might be well worthwhile taking a look at our free report on how its financial position has changed over time.

A Different Perspective

We're pleased to report that ServiceNow shareholders have received a total shareholder return of 51% over one year. That's better than the annualised return of 24% over half a decade, implying that the company is doing better recently. In the best case scenario, this may hint at some real business momentum, implying that now could be a great time to delve deeper. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand ServiceNow better, we need to consider many other factors. For instance, we've identified 1 warning sign for ServiceNow that you should be aware of.

Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of companies we expect will grow earnings.

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.