Yahoo Finance Did You Miss IDP Education's (ASX:IEL) Whopping 318% Share Price Gain?
We think that it's fair to say that the possibility of finding fantastic multi-year winners is what motivates many investors. Mistakes are inevitable, but a single top stock pick can cover any losses, and so much more. For example, the IDP Education Limited (ASX:IEL) share price is up a whopping 318% in the last three years, a handsome return for long term holders. In more good news, the share price has risen 1.3% in thirty days.
View our latest analysis for IDP Education
While the efficient markets hypothesis continues to be taught by some, it has been proven that markets are over-reactive dynamic systems, and investors are not always rational. One flawed but reasonable way to assess how sentiment around a company has changed is to compare the earnings per share (EPS) with the share price.
During three years of share price growth, IDP Education achieved compound earnings per share growth of 18% per year. In comparison, the 61% per year gain in the share price outpaces the EPS growth. This indicates that the market is feeling more optimistic on the stock, after the last few years of progress. That's not necessarily surprising considering the three-year track record of earnings growth. This favorable sentiment is reflected in its (fairly optimistic) P/E ratio of 68.71.
You can see below how EPS has changed over time (discover the exact values by clicking on the image).
We know that IDP Education has improved its bottom line lately, but is it going to grow revenue? This free report showing analyst revenue forecasts should help you figure out if the EPS growth can be sustained.
What About Dividends?
It is important to consider the total shareholder return, as well as the share price return, for any given stock. Whereas the share price return only reflects the change in the share price, the TSR includes the value of dividends (assuming they were reinvested) and the benefit of any discounted capital raising or spin-off. So for companies that pay a generous dividend, the TSR is often a lot higher than the share price return. As it happens, IDP Education's TSR for the last 3 years was 342%, which exceeds the share price return mentioned earlier. The dividends paid by the company have thusly boosted the total shareholder return.
A Different Perspective
Pleasingly, IDP Education's total shareholder return last year was 88%. That's including the dividend. So this year's TSR was actually better than the three-year TSR (annualized) of 64%. Given the track record of solid returns over varying time frames, it might be worth putting IDP Education on your watchlist. Before spending more time on IDP Education it might be wise to click here to see if insiders have been buying or selling shares.
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 AU exchanges.
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.
