It's easy to feel disappointed if you buy a stock that goes down. But sometimes a share price fall can have more to do with market conditions than the performance of the specific business. So while the China National Accord Medicines Corporation Ltd. (SZSE:000028) share price is down 14% in the last year, the total return to shareholders (which includes dividends) was -12%. And that total return actually beats the market decline of 19%. On the other hand, the stock is actually up 7.2% over three years. In the last ninety days we've seen the share price slide 21%. However, one could argue that the price has been influenced by the general market, which is down 11% in the same timeframe.

After losing 3.7% this past week, it's worth investigating the company's fundamentals to see what we can infer from past performance.

There is no denying that markets are sometimes efficient, but prices do not always reflect underlying business performance. 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).

Even though the China National Accord Medicines share price is down over the year, its EPS actually improved. Of course, the situation might betray previous over-optimism about growth.

It seems quite likely that the market was expecting higher growth from the stock. But looking to other metrics might better explain the share price change.

Revenue was pretty flat on last year, which isn't too bad. However, it is certainly possible the market was expecting an uptick in revenue, and that the share price fall reflects that disappointment.

You can see below how earnings and revenue have changed over time (discover the exact values by clicking on the image).

Balance sheet strength is crucial. It might be well worthwhile taking a look at our free report on how its financial position has changed over time.

A Different Perspective

While it's never nice to take a loss, China National Accord Medicines shareholders can take comfort that , including dividends,their trailing twelve month loss of 12% wasn't as bad as the market loss of around 19%. Longer term investors wouldn't be so upset, since they would have made 0.5%, each year, over five years. In the best case scenario the last year is just a temporary blip on the journey to a brighter future. 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. Take risks, for example - China National Accord Medicines has 1 warning sign we think you should be aware of.

Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of companies we expect will grow earnings.

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.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com