It is a pleasure to report that the Leggett & Platt, Incorporated (NYSE:LEG) is up 41% in the last quarter. But if you look at the last five years the returns have not been good. After all, the share price is down 20% in that time, significantly under-performing the market.

See our latest analysis for Leggett & Platt

While markets are a powerful pricing mechanism, share prices reflect investor sentiment, not just underlying business performance. 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.

Looking back five years, both Leggett & Platt's share price and EPS declined; the latter at a rate of 0.8% per year. This reduction in EPS is less than the 4.5% annual reduction in the share price. So it seems the market was too confident about the business, in the past.

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

This free interactive report on Leggett & Platt'searnings, revenue and cash flowis a great place to start, if you want to investigate the stock further.

What About Dividends?

When looking at investment returns, it is important to consider the difference betweentotal shareholder return(TSR) andshare 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. It's fair to say that the TSR gives a more complete picture for stocks that pay a dividend. In the case of Leggett & Platt, it has a TSR of -6.0% for the last 5 years. That exceeds its share price return that we previously mentioned. The dividends paid by the company have thusly boosted thetotalshareholder return.

A Different Perspective

Leggett & Platt shareholders gained a total return of 1.3% during the year. But that return falls short of the market. On the bright side, that's still a gain, and it is certainly better than the yearly loss of about 1.2% endured over half a decade. It could well be that the business is stabilizing. 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. Consider risks, for instance. Every company has them, and we've spotted 3 warning signs for Leggett & Platt you should know about.

Of course Leggett & Platt may not be the best stock to buy . So you may wish to see this free collection of growth stocks.

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