It's nice to see the Datang Telecom Technology Co., Ltd. (SHSE:600198) share price up 10% in a week. But that doesn't change the fact that the returns over the last five years have been less than pleasing. In fact, the share price is down 35%, which falls well short of the return you could get by buying an index fund.

On a more encouraging note the company has added CN¥629m to its market cap in just the last 7 days, so let's see if we can determine what's driven the five-year loss for shareholders.

Because Datang Telecom Technology 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. Generally speaking, companies without profits are expected to grow revenue every year, and at a good clip. That's because fast revenue growth can be easily extrapolated to forecast profits, often of considerable size.

Over half a decade Datang Telecom Technology reduced its trailing twelve month revenue by 14% for each year. That puts it in an unattractive cohort, to put it mildly. On the face of it we'd posit the share price fall of 6% compound, over five years is well justified by the fundamental deterioration. We doubt many shareholders are delighted with this share price performance. It is possible for businesses to bounce back but as Buffett says, 'turnarounds seldom turn'.

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

This free interactive report on Datang Telecom Technology's balance sheet strength is a great place to start, if you want to investigate the stock further.

A Different Perspective

We regret to report that Datang Telecom Technology shareholders are down 26% for the year. Unfortunately, that's worse than the broader market decline of 22%. Having said that, it's inevitable that some stocks will be oversold in a falling market. The key is to keep your eyes on the fundamental developments. Regrettably, last year's performance caps off a bad run, with the shareholders facing a total loss of 6% per year over five years. We realise that Baron Rothschild has said investors should "buy when there is blood on the streets", but we caution that investors should first be sure they are buying a high quality business. You might want to assess this data-rich visualization of its earnings, revenue and cash flow.

If you are like me, then you will not want to miss this free list of growing companies that insiders are 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.