Hunan TV & Broadcast Intermediary Co., Ltd. (SZSE:000917) shareholders might be concerned after seeing the share price drop 16% in the last week. But that doesn't change the fact that the returns over the last three years have been pleasing. To wit, the share price did better than an index fund, climbing 46% during that period.

Although Hunan TV & Broadcast Intermediary has shed CN¥1.8b from its market cap this week, let's take a look at its longer term fundamental trends and see if they've driven returns.

To paraphrase Benjamin Graham: Over the short term the market is a voting machine, but over the long term it's a weighing machine. 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.

Hunan TV & Broadcast Intermediary became profitable within the last three years. That would generally be considered a positive, so we'd expect the share price to be up.

You can see below how EPS has changed over time (discover the exact values by clicking on the image).

It is of course excellent to see how Hunan TV & Broadcast Intermediary has grown profits over the years, but the future is more important for shareholders. This free interactive report on Hunan TV & Broadcast Intermediary's balance sheet strength is a great place to start, if you want to investigate the stock further.

A Different Perspective

It's good to see that Hunan TV & Broadcast Intermediary has rewarded shareholders with a total shareholder return of 12% in the last twelve months. And that does include the dividend. Notably the five-year annualised TSR loss of 5% per year compares very unfavourably with the recent share price performance. This makes us a little wary, but the business might have turned around its fortunes. I find it very interesting to look at share price over the long term as a proxy for business performance. But to truly gain insight, we need to consider other information, too. Take risks, for example - Hunan TV & Broadcast Intermediary has 1 warning sign we think you should be aware of.

If you like to buy stocks alongside management, then you might just love this free list of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them).

Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on Chinese exchanges.

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.