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The Digital Realty Trust (NYSE:DLR) Share Price Is Up 78% And Shareholders Are Holding On

When we invest, we're generally looking for stocks that outperform the market average. And the truth is, you can make significant gains if you buy good quality businesses at the right price. For example, long term Digital Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:DLR) shareholders have enjoyed a 78% share price rise over the last half decade, well in excess of the market return of around 50% (not including dividends). However, more recent returns haven't been as impressive as that, with the stock returning just 5.9% in the last year , including dividends .

Check out our latest analysis for Digital Realty Trust

While the efficient markets hypothesis continues to be taught by some, it has been proven that markets are over-reactive dynamic systems, and investors are not always rational. One imperfect but simple way to consider how the market perception of a company has shifted is to compare the change in the earnings per share (EPS) with the share price movement.

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During five years of share price growth, Digital Realty Trust actually saw its EPS drop 10% per year.

This means it's unlikely the market is judging the company based on earnings growth. Since the change in EPS doesn't seem to correlate with the change in share price, it's worth taking a look at other metrics.

On the other hand, Digital Realty Trust's revenue is growing nicely, at a compound rate of 16% over the last five years. It's quite possible that management are prioritizing revenue growth over EPS growth at the moment.

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

NYSE:DLR Income Statement, December 12th 2019
NYSE:DLR Income Statement, December 12th 2019

Digital Realty Trust is well known by investors, and plenty of clever analysts have tried to predict the future profit levels. If you are thinking of buying or selling Digital Realty Trust stock, you should check out this free report showing analyst consensus estimates for future profits.

What About Dividends?

As well as measuring the share price return, investors should also consider the total shareholder return (TSR). Whereas the share price return only reflects the change in the share price, the TSR includes the value of dividends (assuming they were reinvested) and the benefit of any discounted capital raising or spin-off. It's fair to say that the TSR gives a more complete picture for stocks that pay a dividend. We note that for Digital Realty Trust the TSR over the last 5 years was 117%, which is better than the share price return mentioned above. The dividends paid by the company have thusly boosted the total shareholder return.

A Different Perspective

Digital Realty Trust provided a TSR of 5.9% over the last twelve months. But that was short of the market average. On the bright side, the longer term returns (running at about 17% a year, over half a decade) look better. It's quite possible the business continues to execute with prowess, even as the share price gains are slowing. Importantly, we haven't analysed Digital Realty Trust's dividend history. This free visual report on its dividends is a must-read if you're thinking of buying.

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 US exchanges.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. 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. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned.

We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading.