Elanor Commercial Property Fund (ASX:ECF) investors are sitting on a loss of 5.1% if they invested a year ago

The simplest way to benefit from a rising market is to buy an index fund. But if you buy individual stocks, you can do both better or worse than that. Unfortunately the Elanor Commercial Property Fund (ASX:ECF) share price slid 14% over twelve months. That contrasts poorly with the market decline of 2.8%. Elanor Commercial Property Fund may have better days ahead, of course; we've only looked at a one year period.

Since shareholders are down over the longer term, lets look at the underlying fundamentals over the that time and see if they've been consistent with returns.

View our latest analysis for Elanor Commercial Property Fund

To quote Buffett, 'Ships will sail around the world but the Flat Earth Society will flourish. There will continue to be wide discrepancies between price and value in the marketplace...' 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.

Even though the Elanor Commercial Property Fund share price is down over the year, its EPS actually improved. It's quite possible that growth expectations may have been unreasonable in the past.

By glancing at these numbers, we'd posit that the the market had expectations of much higher growth, last year. But other metrics might shed some light on why the share price is down.

The fact that the dividend has fallen is probably weighing on the share price, as it implies some form of business stress.

The image below shows how earnings and revenue have tracked over time (if you click on the image you can see greater detail).

You can see how its balance sheet has strengthened (or weakened) over time in this free interactive graphic.

What About Dividends?

As well as measuring the share price return, investors should also consider the total shareholder return (TSR). 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. Arguably, the TSR gives a more comprehensive picture of the return generated by a stock. We note that for Elanor Commercial Property Fund the TSR over the last 1 year was -5.1%, which is better than the share price return mentioned above. And there's no prize for guessing that the dividend payments largely explain the divergence!

A Different Perspective

While Elanor Commercial Property Fund shareholders are down 5.1% for the year (even including dividends), the market itself is up 2.8%. While the aim is to do better than that, it's worth recalling that even great long-term investments sometimes underperform for a year or more. It's worth noting that the last three months did the real damage, with a 6.0% decline. So it seems like some holders have been dumping the stock of late - and that's not bullish. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand Elanor Commercial Property Fund better, we need to consider many other factors. Take risks, for example - Elanor Commercial Property Fund has 4 warning signs (and 2 which are significant) we think you should know about.

But note: Elanor Commercial Property Fund 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 AU exchanges.

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

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.

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