Yahoo Finance ONEOK (NYSE:OKE) Shareholders Booked A 54% Gain In The Last Three Years
By buying an index fund, investors can approximate the average market return. But if you pick the right individual stocks, you could make more than that. For example, ONEOK, Inc. (NYSE:OKE) shareholders have seen the share price rise 54% over three years, well in excess of the market return (36%, not including dividends). On the other hand, the returns haven't been quite so good recently, with shareholders up just 14% , including dividends .
See our latest analysis for ONEOK
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. 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.
ONEOK was able to grow its EPS at 31% per year over three years, sending the share price higher. The average annual share price increase of 16% is actually lower than the EPS growth. Therefore, it seems the market has moderated its expectations for growth, somewhat.
You can see below how EPS has changed over time (discover the exact values by clicking on the image).
It is of course excellent to see how ONEOK has grown profits over the years, but the future is more important for shareholders. This free interactive report on ONEOK's balance sheet strength is a great place to start, if you want to investigate the stock further.
What About Dividends?
As well as measuring the share price return, investors should also consider the total shareholder return (TSR). The TSR incorporates the value of any spin-offs or discounted capital raisings, along with any dividends, based on the assumption that the dividends are reinvested. Arguably, the TSR gives a more comprehensive picture of the return generated by a stock. We note that for ONEOK the TSR over the last 3 years was 80%, which is better than the share price return mentioned above. And there's no prize for guessing that the dividend payments largely explain the divergence!
A Different Perspective
It's nice to see that ONEOK shareholders have received a total shareholder return of 14% over the last year. And that does include the dividend. That gain is better than the annual TSR over five years, which is 8.5%. Therefore it seems like sentiment around the company has been positive lately. Someone with an optimistic perspective could view the recent improvement in TSR as indicating that the business itself is getting better with time. If you would like to research ONEOK in more detail then you might want to take a look at whether insiders have been buying or selling shares in the company.
For those who like to find winning investments this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket.
Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on US 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.
