Unless you borrow money to invest, the potential losses are limited. On the other hand, if you find a high quality business to buy (at the right price) you can more than double your money! For example, the Hyster-Yale Materials Handling, Inc. (NYSE:HY) share price has soared 120% in the last 1 year. Most would be very happy with that, especially in just one year! It's also good to see the share price up 73% over the last quarter. In contrast, the longer term returns are negative, since the share price is 24% lower than it was three years ago.

The past week has proven to be lucrative for Hyster-Yale Materials Handling investors, so let's see if fundamentals drove the company's one-year performance.

Check out our latest analysis for Hyster-Yale Materials Handling

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

During the last year Hyster-Yale Materials Handling grew its earnings per share, moving from a loss to a profit.

The result looks like a strong improvement to us, so we're not surprised the market likes the growth. Inflection points like this can be a great time to take a closer look at a company.

The graphic below depicts how EPS has changed over time (unveil the exact values by clicking on the image).

We know that Hyster-Yale Materials Handling has improved its bottom line over the last three years, but what does the future have in store? You can see how its balance sheet has strengthened (or weakened) over time in this free interactive graphic.

What About Dividends?

As well as measuring the share price return, investors should also consider the total shareholder return (TSR). 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. Arguably, the TSR gives a more comprehensive picture of the return generated by a stock. As it happens, Hyster-Yale Materials Handling's TSR for the last 1 year was 127%, which exceeds the share price return mentioned earlier. The dividends paid by the company have thusly boosted the total shareholder return.

A Different Perspective

It's good to see that Hyster-Yale Materials Handling has rewarded shareholders with a total shareholder return of 127% in the last twelve months. And that does include the dividend. That gain is better than the annual TSR over five years, which is 4%. Therefore it seems like sentiment around the company has been positive lately. Given the share price momentum remains strong, it might be worth taking a closer look at the stock, lest you miss an opportunity. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand Hyster-Yale Materials Handling better, we need to consider many other factors. Consider risks, for instance. Every company has them, and we've spotted 1 warning sign for Hyster-Yale Materials Handling 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.

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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.