The five-year underlying earnings growth at Tongdao Liepin Group (HKG:6100) is promising, but the shareholders are still in the red over that time

Long term investing works well, but it doesn't always work for each individual stock. It hits us in the gut when we see fellow investors suffer a loss. Anyone who held Tongdao Liepin Group (HKG:6100) for five years would be nursing their metaphorical wounds since the share price dropped 83% in that time. Furthermore, it's down 23% in about a quarter. That's not much fun for holders. We note that the company has reported results fairly recently; and the market is hardly delighted. You can check out the latest numbers in our company report. We really hope anyone holding through that price crash has a diversified portfolio. Even when you lose money, you don't have to lose the lesson.

Since Tongdao Liepin Group has shed HK$190m from its value in the past 7 days, let's see if the longer term decline has been driven by the business' economics.

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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 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.

While the share price declined over five years, Tongdao Liepin Group actually managed to increase EPS by an average of 14% per year. So it doesn't seem like EPS is a great guide to understanding how the market is valuing the stock. Alternatively, growth expectations may have been unreasonable in the past.

Because of the sharp contrast between the EPS growth rate and the share price growth, we're inclined to look to other metrics to understand the changing market sentiment around the stock.

The steady dividend doesn't really explain why the share price is down. While it's not completely obvious why the share price is down, a closer look at the company's history might help explain it.

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

We know that Tongdao Liepin Group has improved its bottom line lately, but what does the future have in store? If you are thinking of buying or selling Tongdao Liepin Group stock, you should check out this free report showing analyst profit forecasts.

A Different Perspective

Tongdao Liepin Group's TSR for the year was broadly in line with the market average, at 35%. To take a positive view, the gain is pleasing, and it sure beats annualized TSR loss of 13%, which was endured over half a decade. While 'turnarounds seldom turn' there are green shoots for Tongdao Liepin Group. Importantly, we haven't analysed Tongdao Liepin Group's dividend history. This free visual report on its dividends is a must-read if you're thinking of buying.

If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of companies that have proven they can grow earnings.

Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on Hong Kong 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.