Yahoo Finance Rolls-Royce Holdings (LON:RR.) Has Returned Negative 60% To Its Shareholders In The Past Three Years
Rolls-Royce Holdings plc (LON:RR.) shareholders should be happy to see the share price up 14% in the last month. But that doesn't change the fact that the returns over the last three years have been disappointing. In that time, the share price dropped 87%. So the improvement may be a real relief to some. The rise has some hopeful, but turnarounds are often precarious.
We really hope anyone holding through that price crash has a diversified portfolio. Even when you lose money, you don't have to lose the lesson.
See our latest analysis for Rolls-Royce Holdings
Because Rolls-Royce Holdings made a loss in the last twelve months, we think the market is probably more focussed on revenue and revenue growth, at least for now. Shareholders of unprofitable companies usually expect strong revenue growth. Some companies are willing to postpone profitability to grow revenue faster, but in that case one does expect good top-line growth.
Over three years, Rolls-Royce Holdings grew revenue at 1.6% per year. Given it's losing money in pursuit of growth, we are not really impressed with that. Nonetheless, it's fair to say the rapidly declining share price (down 23%, compound, over three years) suggests the market is very disappointed with this level of growth. We generally don't try to 'catch the falling knife'. Of course, revenue growth is nice but generally speaking the lower the profits, the riskier the business - and this business isn't making steady profits.
You can see how earnings and revenue have changed over time in the image below (click on the chart to see the exact values).
Rolls-Royce Holdings is well known by investors, and plenty of clever analysts have tried to predict the future profit levels. So it makes a lot of sense to check out what analysts think Rolls-Royce Holdings will earn in the future (free analyst consensus estimates)
What about the Total Shareholder Return (TSR)?
We'd be remiss not to mention the difference between Rolls-Royce Holdings' total shareholder return (TSR) and its share price return. The TSR is a return calculation that accounts for the value of cash dividends (assuming that any dividend received was reinvested) and the calculated value of any discounted capital raisings and spin-offs. Dividends have been really beneficial for Rolls-Royce Holdings shareholders, and that cash payout explains why its total shareholder loss of 60%, over the last 3 years, isn't as bad as the share price return.
A Different Perspective
Investors in Rolls-Royce Holdings had a tough year, with a total loss of 47%, against a market gain of about 2.1%. However, keep in mind that even the best stocks will sometimes underperform the market over a twelve month period. Unfortunately, last year's performance may indicate unresolved challenges, given that it was worse than the annualised loss of 8% over the last half decade. Generally speaking long term share price weakness can be a bad sign, though contrarian investors might want to research the stock in hope of a turnaround. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand Rolls-Royce Holdings better, we need to consider many other factors. Consider risks, for instance. Every company has them, and we've spotted 2 warning signs for Rolls-Royce Holdings you should know about.
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 GB exchanges.
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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