What Type Of Returns Would BAE Systems'(LON:BA.) Shareholders Have Earned If They Purchased Their SharesThree Years Ago?

For many investors, the main point of stock picking is to generate higher returns than the overall market. But if you try your hand at stock picking, your risk returning less than the market. We regret to report that long term BAE Systems plc (LON:BA.) shareholders have had that experience, with the share price dropping 22% in three years, versus a market decline of about 4.6%. Furthermore, it's down 12% in about a quarter. That's not much fun for holders.

See our latest analysis for BAE Systems

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. By comparing earnings per share (EPS) and share price changes over time, we can get a feel for how investor attitudes to a company have morphed over time.

Although the share price is down over three years, BAE Systems actually managed to grow EPS by 17% per year in that time. This is quite a puzzle, and suggests there might be something temporarily buoying the share price. Or else the company was over-hyped in the past, and so its growth has disappointed.

It's worth taking a look at other metrics, because the EPS growth doesn't seem to match with the falling share price.

We note that the dividend seems healthy enough, so that probably doesn't explain the share price drop. BAE Systems has maintained its top line over three years, so we doubt that has shareholders worried. A closer look at revenue and profit trends might yield insights.

You can see how earnings and revenue have changed over time in the image below (click on the chart to see the exact values).

BAE Systems is a well known stock, with plenty of analyst coverage, suggesting some visibility into future growth. If you are thinking of buying or selling BAE Systems stock, you should check out this free report showing analyst consensus estimates for future profits.

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 incorporates the value of any spin-offs or discounted capital raisings, along with any dividends, based on the assumption that the dividends are reinvested. It's fair to say that the TSR gives a more complete picture for stocks that pay a dividend. As it happens, BAE Systems's TSR for the last 3 years was -15%, which exceeds the share price return mentioned earlier. This is largely a result of its dividend payments!

A Different Perspective

Although it hurts that BAE Systems returned a loss of 4.3% in the last twelve months, the broader market was actually worse, returning a loss of 12%. Of course, the long term returns are far more important and the good news is that over five years, the stock has returned 3.2% for each year. It could be that the business is just facing some short term problems, but shareholders should keep a close eye on the fundamentals. I find it very interesting to look at share price over the long term as a proxy for business performance. But to truly gain insight, we need to consider other information, too. Even so, be aware that BAE Systems is showing 1 warning sign in our investment analysis , you should know about...

We will like BAE Systems better if we see some big insider buys. While we wait, check out this free list of growing companies 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 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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