In order to justify the effort of selecting individual stocks, it's worth striving to beat the returns from a market index fund. But its virtually certain that sometimes you will buy stocks that fall short of the market average returns. Unfortunately, that's been the case for longer term Shanghai New Power Automotive Technology Company Limited (SHSE:600841) shareholders, since the share price is down 40% in the last three years, falling well short of the market decline of around 21%. More recently, the share price has dropped a further 13% in a month.

If the past week is anything to go by, investor sentiment for Shanghai New Power Automotive Technology isn't positive, so let's see if there's a mismatch between fundamentals and the share price.

View our latest analysis for Shanghai New Power Automotive Technology

Shanghai New Power Automotive Technology wasn't profitable in the last twelve months, it is unlikely we'll see a strong correlation between its share price and its earnings per share (EPS). Arguably revenue is our next best option. Shareholders of unprofitable companies usually expect strong revenue growth. Some companies are willing to postpone profitability to grow revenue faster, but in that case one does expect good top-line growth.

In the last three years Shanghai New Power Automotive Technology saw its revenue shrink by 41% per year. That's definitely a weaker result than most pre-profit companies report. With revenue in decline, the share price decline of 12% per year is hardly undeserved. It would probably be worth asking whether the company can fund itself to profitability. Of course, it is possible for businesses to bounce back from a revenue drop - but we'd want to see that before getting interested.

The company's revenue and earnings (over time) are depicted in the image below (click to see the exact numbers).

If you are thinking of buying or selling Shanghai New Power Automotive Technology stock, you should check out this FREE detailed report on its balance sheet.

A Different Perspective

Although it hurts that Shanghai New Power Automotive Technology returned a loss of 10% in the last twelve months, the broader market was actually worse, returning a loss of 13%. Unfortunately, last year's performance may indicate unresolved challenges, given that it's worse than the annualised loss of 3% over the last half decade. While some investors do well specializing in buying companies that are struggling (but nonetheless undervalued), don't forget that Buffett said that 'turnarounds seldom turn'. 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. For instance, we've identified 1 warning sign for Shanghai New Power Automotive Technology that you should be aware of.

For those who like to find winning investments this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket.

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.