Passive investing in an index fund is a good way to ensure your own returns roughly match the overall market. When you buy individual stocks, you can make higher profits, but you also face the risk of under-performance. Investors in Chongqing Three Gorges Water Conservancy and Electric Power Co., Ltd. (SHSE:600116) have tasted that bitter downside in the last year, as the share price dropped 11%. That's well below the market decline of 4.8%. However, the longer term returns haven't been so bad, with the stock down 5.4% in the last three years.

After losing 3.9% this past week, it's worth investigating the company's fundamentals to see what we can infer from past performance.

See our latest analysis for Chongqing Three Gorges Water Conservancy and Electric Power

To paraphrase Benjamin Graham: Over the short term the market is a voting machine, but over the long term it's a weighing machine. 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).

Unhappily, Chongqing Three Gorges Water Conservancy and Electric Power had to report a 24% decline in EPS over the last year. This fall in the EPS is significantly worse than the 11% the share price fall. It may have been that the weak EPS was not as bad as some had feared.

You can see below how EPS has changed over time (discover the exact values by clicking on the image).

Before buying or selling a stock, we always recommend a close examination of historic growth trends, available here.

A Different Perspective

We regret to report that Chongqing Three Gorges Water Conservancy and Electric Power shareholders are down 9.9% for the year (even including dividends). Unfortunately, that's worse than the broader market decline of 4.8%. However, it could simply be that the share price has been impacted by broader market jitters. It might be worth keeping an eye on the fundamentals, in case there's a good opportunity. Unfortunately, last year's performance may indicate unresolved challenges, given that it was worse than the annualised loss of 0.3% over the last half decade. 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. 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. Even so, be aware that Chongqing Three Gorges Water Conservancy and Electric Power is showing 3 warning signs in our investment analysis , and 1 of those is a bit unpleasant...

If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of companies that have proven they can 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.

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