The simplest way to invest in stocks is to buy exchange traded funds. But you can significantly boost your returns by picking above-average stocks. To wit, the Inner Mongolia Xingye Silver &Tin Mining Co.,Ltd (SZSE:000426) share price is 49% higher than it was a year ago, much better than the market decline of around 8.0% (not including dividends) in the same period. That's a solid performance by our standards! Having said that, the longer term returns aren't so impressive, with stock gaining just 16% in three years.

Since it's been a strong week for Inner Mongolia Xingye Silver &Tin MiningLtd shareholders, let's have a look at trend of the longer term fundamentals.

View our latest analysis for Inner Mongolia Xingye Silver &Tin MiningLtd

While markets are a powerful pricing mechanism, share prices reflect investor sentiment, not just underlying business performance. 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 last year Inner Mongolia Xingye Silver &Tin MiningLtd grew its earnings per share (EPS) by 195%. It's fair to say that the share price gain of 49% did not keep pace with the EPS growth. Therefore, it seems the market isn't as excited about Inner Mongolia Xingye Silver &Tin MiningLtd as it was before. This could be an opportunity.

You can see how EPS has changed over time in the image below (click on the chart to see the exact values).

It is of course excellent to see how Inner Mongolia Xingye Silver &Tin MiningLtd has grown profits over the years, but the future is more important for shareholders. It might be well worthwhile taking a look at our free report on how its financial position has changed over time.

A Different Perspective

It's nice to see that Inner Mongolia Xingye Silver &Tin MiningLtd shareholders have received a total shareholder return of 49% over the last year. Of course, that includes the dividend. That's better than the annualised return of 8% over half a decade, implying that the company is doing better recently. Someone with an optimistic perspective could view the recent improvement in TSR as indicating that the business itself is getting better with time. Is Inner Mongolia Xingye Silver &Tin MiningLtd cheap compared to other companies? These 3 valuation measures might help you decide.

But note: Inner Mongolia Xingye Silver &Tin MiningLtd may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with past earnings growth (and further growth forecast).

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.