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While Sinopec Shanghai Petrochemical Company Limited (HKG:338) shareholders are probably generally happy, the stock hasn't had particularly good run recently, with the share price falling 23% in the last quarter. On the bright side the returns have been quite good over the last half decade. It has returned a market beating 39% in that time.

Check out our latest analysis for Sinopec Shanghai Petrochemical

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.

Over half a decade, Sinopec Shanghai Petrochemical managed to grow its earnings per share at 18% a year. This EPS growth is higher than the 6.8% average annual increase in the share price. Therefore, it seems the market has become relatively pessimistic about the company. This cautious sentiment is reflected in its (fairly low) P/E ratio of 7.09.

The graphic below depicts how EPS has changed over time (unveil 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 Sinopec Shanghai Petrochemical'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. The TSR incorporates the value of any spin-offs or discounted capital raisings, along with any dividends, based on the assumption that the dividends are reinvested. It's fair to say that the TSR gives a more complete picture for stocks that pay a dividend. As it happens, Sinopec Shanghai Petrochemical's TSR for the last 5 years was 79%, which exceeds the share price return mentioned earlier. This is largely a result of its dividend payments!

A Different Perspective

Sinopec Shanghai Petrochemical shareholders are down 28% for the year (even including dividends), but the market itself is up 0.5%. 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. On the bright side, long term shareholders have made money, with a gain of 12% per year over half a decade. It could be that the recent sell-off is an opportunity, so it may be worth checking the fundamental data for signs of a long term growth trend. Before forming an opinion on Sinopec Shanghai Petrochemical you might want to consider the cold hard cash it pays as a dividend. This free chart tracks its dividend over time.