Zhejiang Jiuzhou Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd (SHSE:603456) shareholders might be concerned after seeing the share price drop 13% in the last month. But that doesn't change the fact that shareholders have received really good returns over the last five years. Indeed, the share price is up an impressive 284% in that time. So while it's never fun to see a share price fall, it's important to look at a longer time horizon. Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean it's cheap now. Unfortunately not all shareholders will have held it for the long term, so spare a thought for those caught in the 26% decline over the last twelve months.

In light of the stock dropping 8.0% in the past week, we want to investigate the longer term story, and see if fundamentals have been the driver of the company's positive five-year return.

View our latest analysis for Zhejiang Jiuzhou Pharmaceutical

There is no denying that markets are sometimes efficient, but prices do not always reflect underlying business performance. 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.

Over half a decade, Zhejiang Jiuzhou Pharmaceutical managed to grow its earnings per share at 42% a year. The EPS growth is more impressive than the yearly share price gain of 31% over the same period. So it seems the market isn't so enthusiastic about the stock these days.

The image below shows how EPS has tracked over time (if you click on the image you can see greater detail).

We know that Zhejiang Jiuzhou Pharmaceutical has improved its bottom line over the last three years, but what does the future have in store? If you are thinking of buying or selling Zhejiang Jiuzhou Pharmaceutical stock, you should check out this FREE detailed report on its balance sheet.

What About Dividends?

It is important to consider the total shareholder return, as well as the share price return, for any given stock. Whereas the share price return only reflects the change in the share price, the TSR includes the value of dividends (assuming they were reinvested) and the benefit of any discounted capital raising or spin-off. Arguably, the TSR gives a more comprehensive picture of the return generated by a stock. As it happens, Zhejiang Jiuzhou Pharmaceutical's TSR for the last 5 years was 305%, which exceeds the share price return mentioned earlier. This is largely a result of its dividend payments!

A Different Perspective

While the broader market lost about 2.0% in the twelve months, Zhejiang Jiuzhou Pharmaceutical shareholders did even worse, losing 25% (even including dividends). However, it could simply be that the share price has been impacted by broader market jitters. It might be worth keeping an eye on the fundamentals, in case there's a good opportunity. On the bright side, long term shareholders have made money, with a gain of 32% per year over half a decade. If the fundamental data continues to indicate long term sustainable growth, the current sell-off could be an opportunity worth considering. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand Zhejiang Jiuzhou Pharmaceutical better, we need to consider many other factors. Even so, be aware that Zhejiang Jiuzhou Pharmaceutical is showing 2 warning signs in our investment analysis , you should know about...

If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of companies that have proven they can grow earnings.

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.