As Xining Special Steel.Co.Ltd (SHSE:600117) jumps 17% this past week, investors may now be noticing the company's three-year earnings growth

This week we saw the Xining Special Steel.Co.,Ltd (SHSE:600117) share price climb by 17%. But that doesn't help the fact that the three year return is less impressive. After all, the share price is down 41% in the last three years, significantly under-performing the market.

The recent uptick of 17% could be a positive sign of things to come, so let's take a look at historical fundamentals.

View our latest analysis for Xining Special Steel.Co.Ltd

In his essay The Superinvestors of Graham-and-Doddsville Warren Buffett described how share prices do not always rationally reflect the value of a business. 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.

Xining Special Steel.Co.Ltd became profitable within the last five years. We would usually expect to see the share price rise as a result. So it's worth looking at other metrics to try to understand the share price move.

We think that the revenue decline over three years, at a rate of 36% per year, probably had some shareholders looking to sell. After all, if revenue keeps shrinking, it may be difficult to find earnings growth in the future.

The image below shows how earnings and revenue have tracked over time (if you click on the image you can see greater detail).

It's probably worth noting that the CEO is paid less than the median at similar sized 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 Xining Special Steel.Co.Ltd's earnings, revenue and cash flow.

A Different Perspective

While the broader market lost about 17% in the twelve months, Xining Special Steel.Co.Ltd shareholders did even worse, losing 19%. However, it could simply be that the share price has been impacted by broader market jitters. It might be worth keeping an eye on the fundamentals, in case there's a good opportunity. Regrettably, last year's performance caps off a bad run, with the shareholders facing a total loss of 6% 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. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand Xining Special Steel.Co.Ltd better, we need to consider many other factors. Take risks, for example - Xining Special Steel.Co.Ltd has 2 warning signs we think you should be aware of.

But note: Xining Special Steel.Co.Ltd 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.

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

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