Buying shares in the best businesses can build meaningful wealth for you and your family. While not every stock performs well, when investors win, they can win big. To wit, the UFP Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:UFPT) share price has soared 526% over five years. If that doesn't get you thinking about long term investing, we don't know what will. It's also good to see the share price up 26% over the last quarter. Anyone who held for that rewarding ride would probably be keen to talk about it.

While this past week has detracted from the company's five-year return, let's look at the recent trends of the underlying business and see if the gains have been in alignment.

While markets are a powerful pricing mechanism, share prices reflect investor sentiment, not just 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 half a decade, UFP Technologies managed to grow its earnings per share at 23% a year. This EPS growth is slower than the share price growth of 44% per year, over the same period. So it's fair to assume the market has a higher opinion of the business than it did five years ago. And that's hardly shocking given the track record of growth.

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

It is of course excellent to see how UFP Technologies has grown profits over the years, but the future is more important for shareholders. This free interactive report on UFP Technologies' balance sheet strength is a great place to start, if you want to investigate the stock further.

A Different Perspective

We're pleased to report that UFP Technologies shareholders have received a total shareholder return of 49% over one year. Since the one-year TSR is better than the five-year TSR (the latter coming in at 44% per year), it would seem that the stock's performance has improved in recent times. Given the share price momentum remains strong, it might be worth taking a closer look at the stock, lest you miss an opportunity. If you would like to research UFP Technologies in more detail then you might want to take a look at whether insiders have been buying or selling shares in the company.

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 American exchanges.

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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.