While not a mind-blowing move, it is good to see that the Minmetals Development Co., Ltd. (SHSE:600058) share price has gained 11% in the last three months. But in truth the last year hasn't been good for the share price. In fact the stock is down 22% in the last year, well below the market return.

Given the past week has been tough on shareholders, let's investigate the fundamentals and see what we can learn.

To quote Buffett, 'Ships will sail around the world but the Flat Earth Society will flourish. There will continue to be wide discrepancies between price and value in the marketplace...' By comparing earnings per share (EPS) and share price changes over time, we can get a feel for how investor attitudes to a company have morphed over time.

During the unfortunate twelve months during which the Minmetals Development share price fell, it actually saw its earnings per share (EPS) improve by 53%. Of course, the situation might betray previous over-optimism about growth.

The divergence between the EPS and the share price is quite notable, during the year. But we might find some different metrics explain the share price movements better.

On the other hand, we're certainly perturbed by the 16% decline in Minmetals Development's revenue. Many investors see falling revenue as a likely precursor to lower earnings, so this could well explain the weak share price.

The image below shows how earnings and revenue have tracked over time (if you click on the image you can see greater detail).

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 the broader market gained around 12% in the last year, Minmetals Development shareholders lost 22%. However, keep in mind that even the best stocks will sometimes underperform the market over a twelve month period. Regrettably, last year's performance caps off a bad run, with the shareholders facing a total loss of 1.3% per year over five years. Generally speaking long term share price weakness can be a bad sign, though contrarian investors might want to research the stock in hope of a turnaround. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand Minmetals Development better, we need to consider many other factors. To that end, you should be aware of the 1 warning sign we've spotted with Minmetals Development .

For those who like to find winning investments this free list of undervalued 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.