For many, the main point of investing in the stock market is to achieve spectacular returns. While not every stock performs well, when investors win, they can win big. Don't believe it? Then look at the Sieyuan Electric Co., Ltd. (SZSE:002028) share price. It's 340% higher than it was five years ago. This just goes to show the value creation that some businesses can achieve. It's down 1.3% in the last seven days.

So let's investigate and see if the longer term performance of the company has been in line with the underlying business' progress.

See our latest analysis for Sieyuan Electric

While markets are a powerful pricing mechanism, share prices reflect investor sentiment, not just underlying business performance. One flawed but reasonable way to assess how sentiment around a company has changed is to compare the earnings per share (EPS) with the share price.

Over half a decade, Sieyuan Electric managed to grow its earnings per share at 38% a year. So the EPS growth rate is rather close to the annualized share price gain of 34% per year. Therefore one could conclude that sentiment towards the shares hasn't morphed very much. In fact, the share price seems to largely reflect the EPS growth.

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

We know that Sieyuan Electric has improved its bottom line lately, but is it going to grow revenue? Check if analysts think Sieyuan Electric will grow revenue in the future.

What About Dividends?

It is important to consider the total shareholder return, as well as the share price return, for any given stock. The TSR incorporates the value of any spin-offs or discounted capital raisings, along with any dividends, based on the assumption that the dividends are reinvested. Arguably, the TSR gives a more comprehensive picture of the return generated by a stock. We note that for Sieyuan Electric the TSR over the last 5 years was 355%, which is better than the share price return mentioned above. This is largely a result of its dividend payments!

A Different Perspective

We're pleased to report that Sieyuan Electric shareholders have received a total shareholder return of 28% over one year. Of course, that includes the dividend. Having said that, the five-year TSR of 35% a year, is even better. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand Sieyuan Electric better, we need to consider many other factors. For instance, we've identified 1 warning sign for Sieyuan Electric 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.