These days it's easy to simply buy an index fund, and your returns should (roughly) match the market.  But investors can boost returns by picking market-beating companies to own shares in.  To wit, the DigitalBridge Group, Inc. (NYSE:DBRG) share price is 61% higher than it was a year ago, much better than the market return of around 26% (not including dividends) in the same period.  So that should have shareholders smiling.     Unfortunately the longer term returns are not so good, with the stock falling 31% in the last three years.      

While the stock has fallen 4.6% this week, it's worth focusing on the longer term and seeing if the stocks historical returns have been driven by the underlying fundamentals.  

To paraphrase Benjamin Graham: Over the short term the market is a voting machine, but over the long term it's a weighing machine.  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.

During the last year DigitalBridge Group grew its earnings per share, moving from a loss to a profit.

When a company is just on the edge of profitability it can be well worth considering other metrics in order to more precisely gauge growth (and therefore understand share price movements).

We are skeptical of the suggestion that the 0.2% dividend yield would entice buyers to the stock.    We think that the revenue growth of 17% could have some investors interested.  We do see some companies suppress earnings in order to accelerate revenue growth.    

The company's revenue and earnings (over time) are depicted in the image below (click to see the exact numbers).

NYSE:DBRG Earnings and Revenue Growth April 9th 2024

We know that DigitalBridge Group has improved its bottom line lately, but what does the future have in store?  If you are thinking of buying or selling DigitalBridge Group stock, you should check out this free report showing analyst profit forecasts.

A Different Perspective

It's nice to see that DigitalBridge Group shareholders have received a total shareholder return of 61% over the last year.   And that does include the dividend.     Notably the five-year annualised TSR loss of 0.8% per year compares very unfavourably with the recent share price performance.  This makes us a little wary, but the business might have turned around its fortunes.        While it is well worth considering the different impacts that market conditions can have on the share price, there are other factors that are even more important.   Like risks, for instance. Every company has them, and we've spotted   2 warning signs for DigitalBridge Group  (of which 1 doesn't sit too well with us!) you should know about.    

For those who like to find winning investments this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket.

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.