Generally speaking the aim of active stock picking is to find companies that provide returns that are superior to the market average. And the truth is, you can make significant gains if you buy good quality businesses at the right price. For example, the Liaoning HeZhan Energy Group Co., Ltd. (SZSE:000809) share price is up 51% in the last 5 years, clearly besting the market return of around 16% (ignoring dividends). On the other hand, the more recent gains haven't been so impressive, with shareholders gaining just 13%.

Since it's been a strong week for Liaoning HeZhan Energy Group shareholders, let's have a look at trend of the longer term fundamentals.

Because Liaoning HeZhan Energy Group made a loss in the last twelve months, we think the market is probably more focussed on revenue and revenue growth, at least for now. Shareholders of unprofitable companies usually desire strong revenue growth. Some companies are willing to postpone profitability to grow revenue faster, but in that case one would hope for good top-line growth to make up for the lack of earnings.

Over the last half decade Liaoning HeZhan Energy Group's revenue has actually been trending down at about 43% per year. Even though revenue hasn't increased, the stock actually gained 9%, per year, during the same period. It's probably worth checking other factors such as the profitability, to try to understand the share price action. It may not be reflecting the revenue.

You can see how earnings and revenue have changed over time in the image below (click on the chart to see the exact values).

We're pleased to report that the CEO is remunerated more modestly than most CEOs at similarly capitalized companies. But while CEO remuneration is always worth checking, the really important question is whether the company can grow earnings going forward. This free interactive report on Liaoning HeZhan Energy Group's earnings, revenue and cash flow is a great place to start, if you want to investigate the stock further.

A Different Perspective

Liaoning HeZhan Energy Group provided a TSR of 13% over the year. That's fairly close to the broader market return. Most would be happy with a gain, and it helps that the year's return is actually better than the average return over five years, which was 9%. Even if the share price growth slows down from here, there's a good chance that this is business worth watching in the long term. 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. Case in point: We've spotted 1 warning sign for Liaoning HeZhan Energy Group you should be aware of.

If you like to buy stocks alongside management, then you might just love this free list of companies. (Hint: many of them are unnoticed AND have attractive valuation).

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.