Yunnan Metropolitan RealEstate Development Co.Ltd (SHSE:600239) shareholders should be happy to see the share price up 12% in the last week. But over the last half decade, the stock has not performed well. You would have done a lot better buying an index fund, since the stock has dropped 32% in that half decade.

Although the past week has been more reassuring for shareholders, they're still in the red over the last five years, so let's see if the underlying business has been responsible for the decline.

Because Yunnan Metropolitan RealEstate DevelopmentLtd made a loss in the last twelve months, we think the market is probably more focussed on revenue and revenue growth, at least for now. When a company doesn't make profits, we'd generally expect to see good revenue growth. That's because it's hard to be confident a company will be sustainable if revenue growth is negligible, and it never makes a profit.

Over half a decade Yunnan Metropolitan RealEstate DevelopmentLtd reduced its trailing twelve month revenue by 28% for each year. That's definitely a weaker result than most pre-profit companies report. It seems pretty reasonable to us that the share price dipped 6% per year in that time. This loss means the stock shareholders are probably pretty annoyed. It is possible for businesses to bounce back but as Buffett says, 'turnarounds seldom turn'.

The company's revenue and earnings (over time) are depicted in the image below (click to see the exact numbers).

We're pleased to report that the CEO is remunerated more modestly than most CEOs at similarly capitalized companies. It's always worth keeping an eye on CEO pay, but a more important question is whether the company will grow earnings throughout the years. It might be well worthwhile taking a look at our free report on Yunnan Metropolitan RealEstate DevelopmentLtd's earnings, revenue and cash flow.

A Different Perspective

It's good to see that Yunnan Metropolitan RealEstate DevelopmentLtd has rewarded shareholders with a total shareholder return of 32% in the last twelve months. Notably the five-year annualised TSR loss of 5% per year compares very unfavourably with the recent share price performance. We generally put more weight on the long term performance over the short term, but the recent improvement could hint at a (positive) inflection point within the business. While it is well worth considering the different impacts that market conditions can have on the share price, there are other factors that are even more important. Like risks, for instance. Every company has them, and we've spotted 2 warning signs for Yunnan Metropolitan RealEstate DevelopmentLtd (of which 1 can't be ignored!) you should know about.

If you like to buy stocks alongside management, then you might just love this free list of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them).

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.