Ideally, your overall portfolio should beat the market average. But the main game is to find enough winners to more than offset the losers So we wouldn't blame long term Integer Holdings Corporation (NYSE:ITGR) shareholders for doubting their decision to hold, with the stock down 17% over a half decade. It's down 24% in about a quarter.

With the stock having lost 4.4% in the past week, it's worth taking a look at business performance and seeing if there's any red flags.

See our latest analysis for Integer Holdings

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...' One flawed but reasonable way to assess how sentiment around a company has changed is to compare the earnings per share (EPS) with the share price.

Looking back five years, both Integer Holdings' share price and EPS declined; the latter at a rate of 9.6% per year. This fall in the EPS is worse than the 4% compound annual share price fall. The relatively muted share price reaction might be because the market expects the business to turn around.

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

We like that insiders have been buying shares in the last twelve months. Having said that, most people consider earnings and revenue growth trends to be a more meaningful guide to the business. It might be well worthwhile taking a look at our free report on Integer Holdings' earnings, revenue and cash flow.

A Different Perspective

We're pleased to report that Integer Holdings shareholders have received a total shareholder return of 13% over one year. There's no doubt those recent returns are much better than the TSR loss of 3% per year over five years. The long term loss makes us cautious, but the short term TSR gain certainly hints at a brighter future. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand Integer Holdings better, we need to consider many other factors. For instance, we've identified 1 warning sign for Integer Holdings that you should be aware of.

Integer Holdings is not the only stock insiders are buying. So take a peek at this free list of growing companies with insider 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.