Would Shareholders Who Purchased MotorCycle Holdings'(ASX:MTO) Stock Three Years Be Happy With The Share price Today?

It is a pleasure to report that the MotorCycle Holdings Limited (ASX:MTO) is up 146% in the last quarter. Meanwhile over the last three years the stock has dropped hard. Regrettably, the share price slid 58% in that period. So the improvement may be a real relief to some. Perhaps the company has turned over a new leaf.

See our latest analysis for MotorCycle Holdings

To paraphrase Benjamin Graham: Over the short term the market is a voting machine, but over the long term it's a weighing machine. One flawed but reasonable way to assess how sentiment around a company has changed is to compare the earnings per share (EPS) with the share price.

During the three years that the share price fell, MotorCycle Holdings's earnings per share (EPS) dropped by 14% each year. The share price decline of 25% is actually steeper than the EPS slippage. So it's likely that the EPS decline has disappointed the market, leaving investors hesitant to buy.

You can see below how EPS has changed over time (discover the exact values by clicking on the image).

We like that insiders have been buying shares in the last twelve months. Having said that, most people consider earnings and revenue growth trends to be a more meaningful guide to the business. Dive deeper into the earnings by checking this interactive graph of MotorCycle Holdings's earnings, revenue and cash flow.

What about the Total Shareholder Return (TSR)?

We'd be remiss not to mention the difference between MotorCycle Holdings's total shareholder return (TSR) and its share price return. The TSR attempts to capture the value of dividends (as if they were reinvested) as well as any spin-offs or discounted capital raisings offered to shareholders. MotorCycle Holdings's TSR of was a loss of 53% for the 3 years. That wasn't as bad as its share price return, because it has paid dividends.

A Different Perspective

It's nice to see that MotorCycle Holdings shareholders have gained 32% (in total) over the last year. That certainly beats the loss of about 22% per year over three years. The optimist would say this is evidence that the stock has bottomed, and better days lie ahead. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand MotorCycle Holdings better, we need to consider many other factors. Take risks, for example - MotorCycle Holdings has 3 warning signs we think you should be aware of.

There are plenty of other companies that have insiders buying up shares. You probably do not want to miss this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying.

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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