Passive investing in an index fund is a good way to ensure your own returns roughly match the overall market. Active investors aim to buy stocks that vastly outperform the market - but in the process, they risk under-performance. That downside risk was realized by Ashoka Buildcon Limited (NSE:ASHOKA) shareholders over the last year, as the share price declined 21%. That's well bellow the market return of 6.4%. However, the longer term returns haven't been so bad, with the stock down 8.8% in the last three years. Shareholders have had an even rougher run lately, with the share price down 19% in the last 90 days.

Check out our latest analysis for Ashoka Buildcon

Given that Ashoka Buildcon didn't make a profit in the last twelve months, we'll focus on revenue growth to form a quick view of its business development. Shareholders of unprofitable companies usually expect strong revenue growth. That's because fast revenue growth can be easily extrapolated to forecast profits, often of considerable size.

In the last year Ashoka Buildcon saw its revenue grow by 31%. We think that is pretty nice growth. Unfortunately that wasn't good enough to stop the share price dropping 21%. You might even wonder if the share price was previously over-hyped. However, that's in the past now, and it's the future that matters most.

You can see below how earnings and revenue have changed over time (discover the exact values by clicking on the image).

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

What about the Total Shareholder Return (TSR)?

We'd be remiss not to mention the difference between Ashoka Buildcon's total shareholder return (TSR) and its share price return. 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. Its history of dividend payouts mean that Ashoka Buildcon's TSR, which was a 21% drop over the last year, was not as bad as the share price return.

A Different Perspective

Ashoka Buildcon shareholders are down 21% for the year, but the market itself is up 6.4%. However, keep in mind that even the best stocks will sometimes underperform the market over a twelve month period. Longer term investors wouldn't be so upset, since they would have made 2.9%, each year, over five years. It could be that the recent sell-off is an opportunity, so it may be worth checking the fundamental data for signs of a long term growth trend. You could get a better understanding of Ashoka Buildcon's growth by checking out this more detailed historical graph of earnings, revenue and cash flow.

For those who like to find winning investments this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket.

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

We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.