It can certainly be frustrating when a stock does not perform as hoped. But it can difficult to make money in a declining market. While the TECON BIOLOGY Co.LTD (SZSE:002100) share price is down 13% in the last three years, the total return to shareholders (which includes dividends) was -11%. That's better than the market which declined 23% over the last three years.

If the past week is anything to go by, investor sentiment for TECON BIOLOGYLTD isn't positive, so let's see if there's a mismatch between fundamentals and the share price.

While the efficient markets hypothesis continues to be taught by some, it has been proven that markets are over-reactive dynamic systems, and investors are not always rational. 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.

TECON BIOLOGYLTD saw its share price decline over the three years in which its EPS also dropped, falling to a loss. Since the company has fallen to a loss making position, it's hard to compare the change in EPS with the share price change. However, we can say we'd expect to see a falling share price in this scenario.

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

It might be well worthwhile taking a look at our free report on TECON BIOLOGYLTD's earnings, revenue and cash flow.

What About The Total Shareholder Return (TSR)?

We've already covered TECON BIOLOGYLTD's share price action, but we should also mention its total shareholder return (TSR). The TSR attempts to capture the value of dividends (as if they were reinvested) as well as any spin-offs or discounted capital raisings offered to shareholders. TECON BIOLOGYLTD's TSR of was a loss of 11% for the 3 years. That wasn't as bad as its share price return, because it has paid dividends.

A Different Perspective

Although it hurts that TECON BIOLOGYLTD returned a loss of 0.7% in the last twelve months, the broader market was actually worse, returning a loss of 12%. Longer term investors wouldn't be so upset, since they would have made 1.3%, each year, over five years. In the best case scenario the last year is just a temporary blip on the journey to a brighter future. 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. For instance, we've identified 1 warning sign for TECON BIOLOGYLTD that you should be aware of.

For those who like to find winning investments this free list of undervalued 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.