Hathway Cable and Datacom (NSE:HATHWAY shareholders incur further losses as stock declines 12% this week, taking five-year losses to 58%

Statistically speaking, long term investing is a profitable endeavour. But no-one is immune from buying too high. For example the Hathway Cable and Datacom Limited (NSE:HATHWAY) share price dropped 58% over five years. That's not a lot of fun for true believers. And it's not just long term holders hurting, because the stock is down 24% in the last year. Shareholders have had an even rougher run lately, with the share price down 20% in the last 90 days.

With the stock having lost 12% in the past week, it's worth taking a look at business performance and seeing if there's any red flags.

See our latest analysis for Hathway Cable and Datacom

There is no denying that markets are sometimes efficient, but prices do not always reflect 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.

During five years of share price growth, Hathway Cable and Datacom moved from a loss to profitability. Most would consider that to be a good thing, so it's counter-intuitive to see the share price declining. Other metrics may better explain the share price move.

In contrast to the share price, revenue has actually increased by 4.9% a year in the five year period. So it seems one might have to take closer look at the fundamentals to understand why the share price languishes. After all, there may be an opportunity.

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

You can see how its balance sheet has strengthened (or weakened) over time in this free interactive graphic.

A Different Perspective

While the broader market gained around 13% in the last year, Hathway Cable and Datacom shareholders lost 24%. However, keep in mind that even the best stocks will sometimes underperform the market over a twelve month period. Unfortunately, last year's performance may indicate unresolved challenges, given that it was worse than the annualised loss of 10% over the last half decade. 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 Hathway Cable and Datacom better, we need to consider many other factors. To that end, you should be aware of the 2 warning signs we've spotted with Hathway Cable and Datacom .

Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of companies we expect will grow earnings.

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