Investors in Altice USA (NYSE:ATUS) have unfortunately lost 68% over the last year

Taking the occasional loss comes part and parcel with investing on the stock market. Anyone who held Altice USA, Inc. (NYSE:ATUS) over the last year knows what a loser feels like. The share price is down a hefty 68% in that time. We note that it has not been easy for shareholders over three years, either; the share price is down 49% in that time. Furthermore, it's down 27% in about a quarter. That's not much fun for holders. However, one could argue that the price has been influenced by the general market, which is down 12% in the same timeframe.

With that in mind, it's worth seeing if the company's underlying fundamentals have been the driver of long term performance, or if there are some discrepancies.

Check out our latest analysis for Altice USA

While markets are a powerful pricing mechanism, share prices reflect investor sentiment, not just underlying business performance. One way to examine how market sentiment has changed over time is to look at the interaction between a company's share price and its earnings per share (EPS).

During the unfortunate twelve months during which the Altice USA share price fell, it actually saw its earnings per share (EPS) improve by 188%. Of course, the situation might betray previous over-optimism about growth.

The divergence between the EPS and the share price is quite notable, during the year. But we might find some different metrics explain the share price movements better.

Revenue was pretty flat on last year, which isn't too bad. But the share price might be lower because the market expected a meaningful improvement, and got none.

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

We like that insiders have been buying shares in the last twelve months. Even so, future earnings will be far more important to whether current shareholders make money. You can see what analysts are predicting for Altice USA in this interactive graph of future profit estimates.

A Different Perspective

The last twelve months weren't great for Altice USA shares, which performed worse than the market, costing holders 68%. The market shed around 1.3%, no doubt weighing on the stock price. Shareholders have lost 14% per year over the last three years, so the share price drop has become steeper, over the last year; a potential symptom of as yet unsolved challenges. We would be wary of buying into a company with unsolved problems, although some investors will buy into struggling stocks if they believe the price is sufficiently attractive. I find it very interesting to look at share price over the long term as a proxy for business performance. But to truly gain insight, we need to consider other information, too. Even so, be aware that Altice USA is showing 3 warning signs in our investment analysis , and 2 of those shouldn't be ignored...

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 US 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.