Did Changing Sentiment Drive Noble Engineering Group Holdings's (HKG:8445) Share Price Down A Painful 73%?

The art and science of stock market investing requires a tolerance for losing money on some of the shares you buy. But it's not unreasonable to try to avoid truly shocking capital losses. We wouldn't blame Noble Engineering Group Holdings Limited (HKG:8445) shareholders if they were still in shock after the stock dropped like a lead balloon, down 73% in just one year. A loss like this is a stark reminder that portfolio diversification is important. Noble Engineering Group Holdings hasn't been listed for long, so although we're wary of recent listings that perform poorly, it may still prove itself with time. Shareholders have had an even rougher run lately, with the share price down 32% in the last 90 days. This could be related to the recent financial results - you can catch up on the most recent data by reading our company report.

Check out our latest analysis for Noble Engineering Group Holdings

While the efficient markets hypothesis continues to be taught by some, it has been proven that markets are over-reactive dynamic systems, and investors are not always rational. 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).

During the last year Noble Engineering Group Holdings saw its earnings per share drop below zero. While this may prove temporary, we'd consider it a negative, so it doesn't surprise us that the stock price is down. Of course, if the company can turn the situation around, investors will likely profit.

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

SEHK:8445 Past and Future Earnings, November 22nd 2019
SEHK:8445 Past and Future Earnings, November 22nd 2019

It's probably worth noting that the CEO is paid less than the median at similar sized companies. It's always worth keeping an eye on CEO pay, but a more important question is whether the company will grow earnings throughout the years. It might be well worthwhile taking a look at our free report on Noble Engineering Group Holdings's earnings, revenue and cash flow.

A Different Perspective

While Noble Engineering Group Holdings shareholders are down 73% for the year, the market itself is up 1.6%. While the aim is to do better than that, it's worth recalling that even great long-term investments sometimes underperform for a year or more. The share price decline has continued throughout the most recent three months, down 32%, suggesting an absence of enthusiasm from investors. Given the relatively short history of this stock, we'd remain pretty wary until we see some strong business performance. Shareholders might want to examine this detailed historical graph of past earnings, revenue and cash flow.

Of course Noble Engineering Group Holdings 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 HK exchanges.

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.

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