As an investor, mistakes are inevitable. But you have a problem if you face massive losses more than once in a while. So spare a thought for the long term shareholders of Hanesbrands Inc. (NYSE:HBI); the share price is down a whopping 75% in the last three years. That would certainly shake our confidence in the decision to own the stock.

With the stock having lost 3.5% in the past week, it's worth taking a look at business performance and seeing if there's any red flags.

To quote Buffett, 'Ships will sail around the world but the Flat Earth Society will flourish. There will continue to be wide discrepancies between price and value in the marketplace...' 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).

Hanesbrands has made a profit in the past. On the other hand, it reported a trailing twelve months loss, suggesting it isn't reliably profitable. Other metrics may better explain the share price move.

We think that the revenue decline over three years, at a rate of 6.8% per year, probably had some shareholders looking to sell. And that's not surprising, since it seems unlikely that EPS growth can continue for long in the absence of revenue growth.

The company's revenue and earnings (over time) are depicted in the image below (click to see the exact numbers).

If you are thinking of buying or selling Hanesbrands stock, you should check out this FREE detailed report on its balance sheet.

A Different Perspective

Hanesbrands shareholders have received returns of 26% over twelve months, which isn't far from the general market return. The silver lining is that the share price is up in the short term, which flies in the face of the annualised loss of 10% over the last five years. We're pretty skeptical of turnaround stories, but it's good to see the recent share price recovery. 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 - Hanesbrands has 1 warning sign we think you should be aware of.

Of course Hanesbrands may not be the best stock to buy. So you may wish to see this free collection of growth stocks.

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