If You Had Bought Malayan United Industries Berhad's (KLSE:MUIIND) Shares Three Years Ago You Would Be Down 57%

If you love investing in stocks you're bound to buy some losers. But the last three years have been particularly tough on longer term Malayan United Industries Berhad (KLSE:MUIIND) shareholders. Unfortunately, they have held through a 57% decline in the share price in that time. And the ride hasn't got any smoother in recent times over the last year, with the price 55% lower in that time. The falls have accelerated recently, with the share price down 17% in the last three months. This could be related to the recent financial results - you can catch up on the most recent data by reading our company report.

See our latest analysis for Malayan United Industries Berhad

Malayan United Industries Berhad wasn't profitable in the last twelve months, it is unlikely we'll see a strong correlation between its share price and its earnings per share (EPS). Arguably revenue is our next best option. Shareholders of unprofitable companies usually expect strong revenue growth. That's because it's hard to be confident a company will be sustainable if revenue growth is negligible, and it never makes a profit.

In the last three years Malayan United Industries Berhad saw its revenue shrink by 11% per year. That's not what investors generally want to see. The share price decline of 16% compound, over three years, is understandable given the company doesn't have profits to boast of, and revenue is moving in the wrong direction. Of course, it's the future that will determine whether today's price is a good one. We'd be pretty wary of this one until it makes a profit, because we don't specialize in finding turnaround situations.

You can see below how earnings and revenue have changed over time (discover the exact values by clicking on the image).

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. Dive deeper into the earnings by checking this interactive graph of Malayan United Industries Berhad's earnings, revenue and cash flow.

A Different Perspective

While the broader market gained around 9.2% in the last year, Malayan United Industries Berhad shareholders lost 55%. Even the share prices of good stocks drop sometimes, but we want to see improvements in the fundamental metrics of a business, before getting too interested. Regrettably, last year's performance caps off a bad run, with the shareholders facing a total loss of 8% 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. 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. Consider for instance, the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 3 warning signs with Malayan United Industries Berhad (at least 1 which makes us a bit uncomfortable) , and understanding them should be part of your investment process.

We will like Malayan United Industries Berhad better if we see some big insider buys. While we wait, check out this free list of growing companies with considerable, recent, insider buying.

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

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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. 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.
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