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Many investors define successful investing as beating the market average over the long term. But its virtually certain that sometimes you will buy stocks that fall short of the market average returns. Unfortunately, that's been the case for longer term Huajin International Holdings Limited (HKG:2738) shareholders, since the share price is down 23% in the last three years, falling well short of the market return of around 11%.
Check out our latest analysis for Huajin International Holdings
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 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).
Huajin International Holdings saw its EPS decline at a compound rate of 72% per year, over the last three years. This was, in part, due to extraordinary items impacting earnings. In comparison the 8.4% compound annual share price decline isn't as bad as the EPS drop-off. So, despite the prior disappointment, shareholders must have some confidence the situation will improve, longer term. This positive sentiment is also reflected in the generous P/E ratio of 414.51.
You can see below how EPS has changed over time (discover the exact values by clicking on the image).
We're pleased to report that the CEO is remunerated more modestly than most CEOs at similarly capitalized 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. It might be well worthwhile taking a look at our free report on Huajin International Holdings's earnings, revenue and cash flow.
What About Dividends?
When looking at investment returns, it is important to consider the difference between total shareholder return (TSR) and share price return. The TSR is a return calculation that accounts for the value of cash dividends (assuming that any dividend received was reinvested) and the calculated value of any discounted capital raisings and spin-offs. Arguably, the TSR gives a more comprehensive picture of the return generated by a stock. In the case of Huajin International Holdings, it has a TSR of -16% for the last 3 years. That exceeds its share price return that we previously mentioned. This is largely a result of its dividend payments!
A Different Perspective
We can sympathize with Huajin International Holdings about their 0.8% loss for the year ( including dividends) , but the silver lining is that the broader market return was worse, at around -5.2%. The one-year return is also not as bad as the 5.8% per annum loss investors have suffered over the last three years. It is of course not much comfort to know that the losses have slowed. Shareholders will be hoping for a proper turnaround, no doubt. 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. For instance, we've identified 5 warning signs for Huajin International Holdings (2 are concerning) that you should be aware of.