The simplest way to invest in stocks is to buy exchange traded funds. But if you pick the right individual stocks, you could make more than that. For example, the Xinzhi Group Co., Ltd. (SZSE:002664) share price is up 13% in the last 1 year, clearly besting the market decline of around 9.5% (not including dividends). If it can keep that out-performance up over the long term, investors will do very well! Having said that, the longer term returns aren't so impressive, with stock gaining just 6.6% in three years.

In light of the stock dropping 8.7% in the past week, we want to investigate the longer term story, and see if fundamentals have been the driver of the company's positive one-year return.

In his essay The Superinvestors of Graham-and-Doddsville Warren Buffett described how share prices do not always rationally reflect the value of a business. 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).

Xinzhi Group was able to grow EPS by 14% in the last twelve months. This EPS growth is reasonably close to the 13% increase in the share price. This makes us think the market hasn't really changed its sentiment around the company, in the last year. It makes intuitive sense that the share price and EPS would grow at similar rates.

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 Xinzhi Group has improved its bottom line lately, but is it going to grow revenue? Check if analysts think Xinzhi Group will grow revenue in the future.

A Different Perspective

We're pleased to report that Xinzhi Group shareholders have received a total shareholder return of 14% over one year. Of course, that includes the dividend. Since the one-year TSR is better than the five-year TSR (the latter coming in at 2% per year), it would seem that the stock's performance has improved in recent times. In the best case scenario, this may hint at some real business momentum, implying that now could be a great time to delve deeper. I find it very interesting to look at share price over the long term as a proxy for business performance. But to truly gain insight, we need to consider other information, too. For example, we've discovered 1 warning sign for Xinzhi Group that you should be aware of before investing here.

We will like Xinzhi Group better if we see some big insider buys. While we wait, check out this free list of growing companies with considerable, recent, insider buying.

Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on Chinese 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.