If you are building a properly diversified stock portfolio, the chances are some of your picks will perform badly. But long term HBL Power Systems Limited (NSE:HBLPOWER) shareholders have had a particularly rough ride in the last three year. Sadly for them, the share price is down 58% in that time. And more recent buyers are having a tough time too, with a drop of 46% in the last year.

View our latest analysis for HBL Power Systems

In his essay The Superinvestors of Graham-and-Doddsville Warren Buffett described how share prices do not always rationally reflect the value of a business. One imperfect but simple way to consider how the market perception of a company has shifted is to compare the change in the earnings per share (EPS) with the share price movement.

Although the share price is down over three years, HBL Power Systems actually managed to grow EPS by 19% per year in that time. This is quite a puzzle, and suggests there might be something temporarily buoying the share price. Or else the company was over-hyped in the past, and so its growth has disappointed.

It's worth taking a look at other metrics, because the EPS growth doesn't seem to match with the falling share price.

The modest 1.8% dividend yield is unlikely to be guiding the market view of the stock. With revenue flat over three years, it seems unlikely that the share price is reflecting the top line. There doesn't seem to be any clear correlation between the fundamental business metrics and the share price. That could mean that the stock was previously overrated, or it could spell opportunity now.

The graphic below depicts how earnings and revenue have changed over time (unveil the exact values by clicking on the image).

You can see how its balance sheet has strengthened (or weakened) over time in this free interactive graphic.

What about the Total Shareholder Return (TSR)?

We've already covered HBL Power Systems's share price action, but we should also mention its total shareholder return (TSR). The TSR attempts to capture the value of dividends (as if they were reinvested) as well as any spin-offs or discounted capital raisings offered to shareholders. Dividends have been really beneficial for HBL Power Systems shareholders, and that cash payout explains why its total shareholder loss of 57%, over the last 3 years, isn't as bad as the share price return.

A Different Perspective

While the broader market gained around 6.4% in the last year, HBL Power Systems shareholders lost 45% (even including dividends) . 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. Regrettably, last year's performance caps off a bad run, with the shareholders facing a total loss of 3.1% 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. Before forming an opinion on HBL Power Systems you might want to consider these 3 valuation metrics.