The 12% return this week takes Finance of America Companies' (NYSE:FOA) shareholders one-year gains to 261%

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 Finance of America Companies Inc. (NYSE:FOA) share price had more than doubled in just one year - up 261%. It's also good to see the share price up 26% over the last quarter. This could be related to the recent financial results, released recently - you can catch up on the most recent data by reading our company report. And shareholders have also done well over the long term, with an increase of 78% in the last three years.

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

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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 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).

Finance of America Companies went from making a loss to reporting a profit, in the last year.

The result looks like a strong improvement to us, so we're not surprised the market likes the growth. Generally speaking the profitability inflection point is a great time to research a company closely, lest you miss an opportunity to profit.

The image below shows how EPS has tracked over time (if you click on the image you can see greater detail).

We consider it positive that insiders have made significant purchases in the last year. Even so, future earnings will be far more important to whether current shareholders make money. It might be well worthwhile taking a look at our free report on Finance of America Companies' earnings, revenue and cash flow.

A Different Perspective

It's nice to see that Finance of America Companies shareholders have received a total shareholder return of 261% over the last year. There's no doubt those recent returns are much better than the TSR loss of 12% per year over five years. 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. Consider for instance, the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 3 warning signs with Finance of America Companies (at least 2 which are concerning) , and understanding them should be part of your investment process.

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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.