The most you can lose on any stock (assuming you don't use leverage) is 100% of your money. But on the bright side, you can make far more than 100% on a really good stock. Long term Wabash National Corporation (NYSE:WNC) shareholders would be well aware of this, since the stock is up 111% in five years. On top of that, the share price is up 17% in about a quarter. But this move may well have been assisted by the reasonably buoyant market (up 9.4% in 90 days).

Since it's been a strong week for Wabash National shareholders, let's have a look at trend of the longer term fundamentals.

See our latest analysis for Wabash National

There is no denying that markets are sometimes efficient, but prices do not always reflect 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).

During the last half decade, Wabash National became profitable. That kind of transition can be an inflection point that justifies a strong share price gain, just as we have seen here.

The company's earnings per share (over time) is depicted in the image below (click to see the exact numbers).

We know that Wabash National has improved its bottom line over the last three years, but what does the future have in store? This free interactive report on Wabash National's balance sheet strength is a great place to start, if you want to investigate the stock further.

What About Dividends?

When looking at investment returns, it is important to consider the difference between total shareholder return (TSR) and share price return. The TSR is a return calculation that accounts for the value of cash dividends (assuming that any dividend received was reinvested) and the calculated value of any discounted capital raisings and spin-offs. So for companies that pay a generous dividend, the TSR is often a lot higher than the share price return. In the case of Wabash National, it has a TSR of 133% for the last 5 years. That exceeds its share price return that we previously mentioned. The dividends paid by the company have thusly boosted the total shareholder return.

A Different Perspective

Wabash National shareholders gained a total return of 26% during the year. Unfortunately this falls short of the market return. The silver lining is that the gain was actually better than the average annual return of 18% per year over five year. This suggests the company might be improving over time. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand Wabash National better, we need to consider many other factors. Take risks, for example - Wabash National has 2 warning signs (and 1 which doesn't sit too well with us) we think you should know about.

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.

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.