What does Total Shareholder Return (TSR) measure?

Total Shareholder Return (TSR) is a crucial financial metric that gauges the overall return that an investor realizes from their investment in a company's stock over a specific period. It encompasses not just the increase in the stock price, but also any dividends issued to shareholders during that time.

The calculation of TSR provides a comprehensive view of how much value has been created for shareholders, making it essential for evaluating the performance of a company from the perspective of its investors. When a company has a high TSR, it indicates that investors have gained substantial returns and that the company's management is effectively enhancing shareholder value. Thus, the choice reflecting that TSR measures the overall return on a shareholder's investment accurately captures its essence.

The other options focus on different aspects of a company's financial performance or metrics that do not encompass the full scope of what TSR conveys. For example, measuring total profit from operations looks solely at internal financial performance without considering external shareholder value, while efficiency of earnings and revenue growth per share focus on operational metrics rather than the total returns realized by shareholders.