The nature of investing is that you win some, and you lose some. Anyone who held Sogou Inc. (NYSE:SOGO) over the last year knows what a loser feels like. In that relatively short period, the share price has plunged 55%. Because Sogou hasn't been listed for many years, the market is still learning about how the business performs. The falls have accelerated recently, with the share price down 32% in the last three months. 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.
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Check out our latest analysis for Sogou
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.
Unfortunately Sogou reported an EPS drop of 11% for the last year. This reduction in EPS is not as bad as the 55% share price fall. Unsurprisingly, given the lack of EPS growth, the market seems to be more cautious about the stock.
You can see below how EPS has 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. But while CEO remuneration is always worth checking, the really important question is whether the company can grow earnings going forward. Dive deeper into the earnings by checking this interactive graph of Sogou's earnings, revenue and cash flow.
A Different Perspective
While Sogou shareholders are down 55% for the year, the market itself is up 3.4%. While the aim is to do better than that, it's worth recalling that even great long-term investments sometimes underperform for a year or more. With the stock down 32% over the last three months, the market doesn't seem to believe that the company has solved all its problems. Given the relatively short history of this stock, we'd remain pretty wary until we see some strong business performance. Before deciding if you like the current share price, check how Sogou scores on these 3 valuation metrics.
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Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on US exchanges.
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.
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. Thank you for reading.
