This week we saw the Chengtun Mining Group Co., Ltd. (SHSE:600711) share price climb by 11%. But that doesn't help the fact that the three year return is less impressive. After all, the share price is down 46% in the last three years, significantly under-performing the market.

On a more encouraging note the company has added CN¥1.2b to its market cap in just the last 7 days, so let's see if we can determine what's driven the three-year loss for shareholders.

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...' One way to examine how market sentiment has changed over time is to look at the interaction between a company's share price and its earnings per share (EPS).

During five years of share price growth, Chengtun Mining Group moved from a loss to profitability. That would generally be considered a positive, so we are surprised to see the share price is down. So it's worth looking at other metrics to try to understand the share price move.

With a rather small yield of just 0.6% we doubt that the stock's share price is based on its dividend. We think that the revenue decline over three years, at a rate of 24% per year, probably had some shareholders looking to sell. And that's not surprising, since it seems unlikely that EPS growth can continue for long in the absence of revenue growth.

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

Take a more thorough look at Chengtun Mining Group's financial health with this free report on its balance sheet.

A Different Perspective

The total return of 18% received by Chengtun Mining Group shareholders over the last year isn't far from the market return of -16%. Unfortunately, last year's performance is a deterioration of an already poor long term track record, given the loss of 4% per year over the last five years. It will probably take a substantial improvement in the fundamental performance for the company to reverse this trend. 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 - Chengtun Mining Group has 3 warning signs (and 1 which can't be ignored) we think you should know about.

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.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com