Yahoo Finance Shareholders of Australian Ethical Investment (ASX:AEF) Must Be Delighted With Their 941% Total Return
It's been a soft week for Australian Ethical Investment Ltd. (ASX:AEF) shares, which are down 18%. But over five years returns have been remarkably great. In that time, the share price has soared some 829% higher! So we don't think the recent decline in the share price means its story is a sad one. Only time will tell if there is still too much optimism currently reflected in the share price.
Anyone who held for that rewarding ride would probably be keen to talk about it.
View our latest analysis for Australian Ethical Investment
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).
Over half a decade, Australian Ethical Investment managed to grow its earnings per share at 25% a year. This EPS growth is slower than the share price growth of 56% per year, over the same period. This suggests that market participants hold the company in higher regard, these days. That's not necessarily surprising considering the five-year track record of earnings growth. This favorable sentiment is reflected in its (fairly optimistic) P/E ratio of 87.42.
You can see how EPS has changed over time in the image below (click on the chart to see the exact values).
We're pleased to report that the CEO is remunerated more modestly than most CEOs at similarly capitalized companies. It's always worth keeping an eye on CEO pay, but a more important question is whether the company will grow earnings throughout the years. It might be well worthwhile taking a look at our free report on Australian Ethical Investment's earnings, revenue and cash flow.
What About Dividends?
When looking at investment returns, it is important to consider the difference between total shareholder return (TSR) and 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. Arguably, the TSR gives a more comprehensive picture of the return generated by a stock. As it happens, Australian Ethical Investment's TSR for the last 5 years was 941%, which exceeds the share price return mentioned earlier. This is largely a result of its dividend payments!
A Different Perspective
Australian Ethical Investment shareholders are up 12% for the year (even including dividends). Unfortunately this falls short of the market return. If we look back over five years, the returns are even better, coming in at 60% per year for five years. Maybe the share price is just taking a breather while the business executes on its growth strategy. Is Australian Ethical Investment cheap compared to other companies? These 3 valuation measures might help you decide.
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 AU 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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