As every investor would know, you don't hit a homerun every time you swing. But it's not unreasonable to try to avoid truly shocking capital losses. We wouldn't blame Dewan Housing Finance Corporation Limited (NSE:DHFL) shareholders if they were still in shock after the stock dropped like a lead balloon, down 92% in just one year. That'd be enough to make even the strongest stomachs churn. We note that it has not been easy for shareholders over three years, either; the share price is down 82% in that time. The falls have accelerated recently, with the share price down 37% 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.

We really hope anyone holding through that price crash has a diversified portfolio. Even when you lose money, you don't have to lose the lesson.

See our latest analysis for Dewan Housing Finance

To paraphrase Benjamin Graham: Over the short term the market is a voting machine, but over the long term it's a weighing machine. One flawed but reasonable way to assess how sentiment around a company has changed is to compare the earnings per share (EPS) with the share price.

During the last year Dewan Housing Finance saw its earnings per share drop below zero. Some investors no doubt dumped the stock as a result. However, there may be an opportunity for investors if the company can recover.

You can see how EPS has changed over time in the image below (click on the chart to see the exact values).

Before buying or selling a stock, we always recommend a close examination of historic growth trends, available here..

What about the Total Shareholder Return (TSR)?

Investors should note that there's a difference between Dewan Housing Finance's total shareholder return (TSR) and its share price change, which we've covered above. Arguably the TSR is a more complete return calculation because it accounts for the value of dividends (as if they were reinvested), along with the hypothetical value of any discounted capital that have been offered to shareholders. Dewan Housing Finance's TSR of was a loss of 92% for the year. That wasn't as bad as its share price return, because it has paid dividends.

A Different Perspective

While the broader market lost about 9.9% in the twelve months, Dewan Housing Finance shareholders did even worse, losing 92%. Having said that, it's inevitable that some stocks will be oversold in a falling market. The key is to keep your eyes on the fundamental developments. Regrettably, last year's performance caps off a bad run, with the shareholders facing a total loss of 20% 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. Most investors take the time to check the data on insider transactions. You can click here to see if insiders have been buying or selling.