Buying shares in the best businesses can build meaningful wealth for you and your family. And we've seen some truly amazing gains over the years. To wit, the Sterling Infrastructure, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRL) share price has soared 470% over five years. This just goes to show the value creation that some businesses can achieve. On top of that, the share price is up 31% in about a quarter.

The past week has proven to be lucrative for Sterling Infrastructure investors, so let's see if fundamentals drove the company's five-year performance.

Check out our latest analysis for Sterling Infrastructure

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. 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 five years of share price growth, Sterling Infrastructure achieved compound earnings per share (EPS) growth of 36% per year. So the EPS growth rate is rather close to the annualized share price gain of 42% per year. That suggests that the market sentiment around the company hasn't changed much over that time. Indeed, it would appear the share price is reacting to the EPS.

You can see how EPS has changed over time in the image below (click on the chart to see the exact values).

We know that Sterling Infrastructure has improved its bottom line lately, but is it going to grow revenue? If you're interested, you could check this free report showing consensus revenue forecasts.

A Different Perspective

We're pleased to report that Sterling Infrastructure shareholders have received a total shareholder return of 236% over one year. That gain is better than the annual TSR over five years, which is 42%. Therefore it seems like sentiment around the company has been positive lately. In the best case scenario, this may hint at some real business momentum, implying that now could be a great time to delve deeper. Before spending more time on Sterling Infrastructure it might be wise to click here to see if insiders have been buying or selling shares.

If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of companies that have proven they can 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.

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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.