15-07-2025
Those who invested in Pfeiffer Vacuum Technology (ETR:PFV) three years ago are up 21%
Investors can buy low cost index fund if they want to receive the average market return. But across the board there are plenty of stocks that underperform the market. Unfortunately for shareholders, while the Pfeiffer Vacuum Technology AG (ETR:PFV) share price is up 10% in the last three years, that falls short of the market return. In the last year the stock price gained, albeit only 1.4%.
So let's investigate and see if the longer term performance of the company has been in line with the underlying business' progress.
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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).
Over the last three years, Pfeiffer Vacuum Technology failed to grow earnings per share, which fell 15% (annualized).
The strong decline in earnings per share suggests the market isn't using EPS to judge the company. Since the change in EPS doesn't seem to correlate with the change in share price, it's worth taking a look at other metrics.
Interestingly, the dividend has increased over time; so that may have given the share price a boost. Sometimes yield-chasing investors will flock to a company if they think the dividend can grow over time. The revenue growth of about 4.4% per year might also encourage buyers.
The graphic below depicts how earnings and revenue have changed over time (unveil the exact values by clicking on the image).
You can see how its balance sheet has strengthened (or weakened) over time in this free interactive graphic.
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. So for companies that pay a generous dividend, the TSR is often a lot higher than the share price return. As it happens, Pfeiffer Vacuum Technology's TSR for the last 3 years was 21%, which exceeds the share price return mentioned earlier. And there's no prize for guessing that the dividend payments largely explain the divergence!
Pfeiffer Vacuum Technology provided a TSR of 6.2% over the last twelve months. But that return falls short of the market. On the bright side, that's still a gain, and it's actually better than the average return of 0.7% over half a decade This suggests the company might be improving over time. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand Pfeiffer Vacuum Technology better, we need to consider many other factors. Case in point: We've spotted 3 warning signs for Pfeiffer Vacuum Technology you should be aware of, and 1 of them makes us a bit uncomfortable.
Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of companies we expect will grow earnings.
Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on German exchanges.
Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) 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.
