Metropolitan Bank Holding Corp. (NYSE:MCB) shareholders should be happy to see the share price up 13% in the last week. But that doesn't help the fact that the three year return is less impressive. After all, the share price is down 36% in the last three years, significantly under-performing the market.

The recent uptick of 13% could be a positive sign of things to come, so let's take a look at historical fundamentals.

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.

Although the share price is down over three years, Metropolitan Bank Holding actually managed to grow EPS by 3.5% 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 pretty reasonable to suspect the market was previously to bullish on the stock, and has since moderated expectations. Looking to other metrics might better explain the share price change.

Revenue is actually up 19% over the three years, so the share price drop doesn't seem to hinge on revenue, either. It's probably worth investigating Metropolitan Bank Holding further; while we may be missing something on this analysis, there might also be an opportunity.

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

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

A Different Perspective

Metropolitan Bank Holding provided a TSR of 15% over the last twelve months. But that was short of the market average. On the bright side, that's still a gain, and it's actually better than the average return of 0.3% over half a decade This suggests the company might be improving over time. Before deciding if you like the current share price, check how Metropolitan Bank Holding scores on these 3 valuation metrics.

If you are like me, then you will not want to miss this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying.

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.