Passive investing in an index fund is a good way to ensure your own returns roughly match the overall market. Active investors aim to buy stocks that vastly outperform the market - but in the process, they risk under-performance. For example, the Northeast Pharmaceutical Group Co., Ltd. (SZSE:000597) share price is down 22% in the last year. That contrasts poorly with the market decline of 10%. However, the longer term returns haven't been so bad, with the stock down 17% in the last three years. Even worse, it's down 19% in about a month, which isn't fun at all.

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.

Unfortunately Northeast Pharmaceutical Group reported an EPS drop of 2.6% for the last year. The share price decline of 22% is actually more than the EPS drop. So it seems the market was too confident about the business, a year ago.

The image below shows how EPS has tracked over time (if you click on the image you can see greater detail).

This free interactive report on Northeast Pharmaceutical Group's earnings, revenue and cash flow is a great place to start, if you want to investigate the stock further.

A Different Perspective

While the broader market lost about 10% in the twelve months, Northeast Pharmaceutical Group shareholders did even worse, losing 20% (even including dividends). Having said that, it's inevitable that some stocks will be oversold in a falling market. The key is to keep your eyes on the fundamental developments. Regrettably, last year's performance caps off a bad run, with the shareholders facing a total loss of 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. 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. Take risks, for example - Northeast Pharmaceutical Group has 2 warning signs we think you should be aware of.

Of course Northeast Pharmaceutical Group may not be the best stock to buy. So you may wish to see this free collection of growth stocks.

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.