Those Who Purchased Hopefluent Group Holdings (HKG:733) Shares A Year Ago Have A 48% Loss To Show For It

It's easy to match the overall market return by buying an index fund. Active investors aim to buy stocks that vastly outperform the market - but in the process, they risk under-performance. For example, the Hopefluent Group Holdings Limited (HKG:733) share price is down 48% in the last year. That's disappointing when you consider the market returned -17%. Even if you look out three years, the returns are still disappointing, with the share price down45% in that time. Shareholders have had an even rougher run lately, with the share price down 20% in the last 90 days. However, one could argue that the price has been influenced by the general market, which is down 16% in the same timeframe.

Check out our latest analysis for Hopefluent Group Holdings

While markets are a powerful pricing mechanism, share prices reflect investor sentiment, not just underlying business performance. 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.

Unhappily, Hopefluent Group Holdings had to report a 16% decline in EPS over the last year. The share price decline of 48% is actually more than the EPS drop. This suggests the EPS fall has made some shareholders are more nervous about the business. The less favorable sentiment is reflected in its current P/E ratio of 2.94.

The graphic below depicts how EPS has changed over time (unveil the exact values by clicking on the image).

Dive deeper into Hopefluent Group Holdings's key metrics by checking this interactive graph of Hopefluent Group Holdings's earnings, revenue and cash flow.

What About Dividends?

It is important to consider the total shareholder return, as well as the share price return, for any given stock. Whereas the share price return only reflects the change in the share price, the TSR includes the value of dividends (assuming they were reinvested) and the benefit of any discounted capital raising or spin-off. It's fair to say that the TSR gives a more complete picture for stocks that pay a dividend. We note that for Hopefluent Group Holdings the TSR over the last year was -45%, which is better than the share price return mentioned above. And there's no prize for guessing that the dividend payments largely explain the divergence!

A Different Perspective

While the broader market lost about 17% in the twelve months, Hopefluent Group Holdings shareholders did even worse, losing 45% (even including dividends) . 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 6.5% per year over five years. We realise that Baron Rothschild has said investors should "buy when there is blood on the streets", but we caution that investors should first be sure they are buying a high quality business. 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. Case in point: We've spotted 4 warning signs for Hopefluent Group Holdings you should be aware of.

If you like to buy stocks alongside management, then you might just love this free list of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them).

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

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned.

We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading.