Yahoo Finance What Type Of Returns Would Hostelworld Group's(LON:HSW) Shareholders Have Earned If They Purchased Their Shares Three Years Ago?
If you are building a properly diversified stock portfolio, the chances are some of your picks will perform badly. Long term Hostelworld Group plc (LON:HSW) shareholders know that all too well, since the share price is down considerably over three years. Sadly for them, the share price is down 66% in that time. More recently, the share price has dropped a further 13% in a month.
See our latest analysis for Hostelworld Group
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 imperfect but simple way to consider how the market perception of a company has shifted is to compare the change in the earnings per share (EPS) with the share price movement.
Hostelworld Group saw its share price decline over the three years in which its EPS also dropped, falling to a loss. Due to the loss, it's not easy to use EPS as a reliable guide to the business. But it's safe to say we'd generally expect the share price to be lower as a result!
You can see how EPS has changed over time in the image below (click on the chart to see the exact values).
Before buying or selling a stock, we always recommend a close examination of historic growth trends, available here.
What about the Total Shareholder Return (TSR)?
Investors should note that there's a difference between Hostelworld Group's total shareholder return (TSR) and its share price change, which we've covered above. 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. Its history of dividend payouts mean that Hostelworld Group's TSR, which was a 63% drop over the last 3 years, was not as bad as the share price return.
A Different Perspective
It's good to see that Hostelworld Group has rewarded shareholders with a total shareholder return of 65% in the last twelve months. There's no doubt those recent returns are much better than the TSR loss of 4% per year over five years. We generally put more weight on the long term performance over the short term, but the recent improvement could hint at a (positive) inflection point within the business. You could get a better understanding of Hostelworld Group's growth by checking out this more detailed historical graph of earnings, revenue and cash flow.
But note: Hostelworld Group may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with past earnings growth (and further growth forecast).
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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