The worst result, after buying shares in a company (assuming no leverage), would be if you lose all the money you put in. But on the bright side, you can make far more than 100% on a really good stock. For instance, the price of Acushnet Holdings Corp. (NYSE:GOLF) stock is up an impressive 133% over the last five years. The last week saw the share price soften some 4.7%.

Although Acushnet Holdings has shed US$193m from its market cap this week, let’s take a look at its longer term fundamental trends and see if they’ve driven returns.

See our latest analysis for Acushnet Holdings

There is no denying that markets are sometimes efficient, but prices do not always reflect 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).

During five years of share price growth, Acushnet Holdings achieved compound earnings per share (EPS) growth of 20% per year. So the EPS growth rate is rather close to the annualized share price gain of 18% per year. This indicates that investor sentiment towards the company has not changed a great deal. Indeed, it would appear the share price is reacting to the EPS.

The image below shows how EPS has tracked over time (if you click on the image you can see greater detail).

It might be well worthwhile taking a look at our free report on Acushnet Holdings’ earnings, revenue and cash flow.

What About Dividends?

It is important to consider the total shareholder return, as well as the share price return, for any given stock. 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. It’s fair to say that the TSR gives a more complete picture for stocks that pay a dividend. As it happens, Acushnet Holdings’ TSR for the last 5 years was 153%, which exceeds the share price return mentioned earlier. This is largely a result of its dividend payments!

A Different Perspective

Acushnet Holdings provided a TSR of 17% over the last twelve months. But that was short of the market average. If we look back over five years, the returns are even better, coming in at 20% per year for five years. It’s quite possible the business continues to execute with prowess, even as the share price gains are slowing. While it is well worth considering the different impacts that market conditions can have on the share price, there are other factors that are even more important. Case in point: We’ve spotted 2 warning signs for Acushnet Holdings you should be aware of.

We will like Acushnet Holdings better if we see some big insider buys. While we wait, check out this free list of undervalued stocks (mostly small caps) with considerable, recent, insider buying.

Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on American exchanges.

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. 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.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com