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If You Had Bought Synectics (LON:SNX) Stock A Year Ago, You'd Be Sitting On A 43% Loss, Today

Passive investing in an index fund is a good way to ensure your own returns roughly match the overall market. While individual stocks can be big winners, plenty more fail to generate satisfactory returns. Unfortunately the Synectics plc (LON:SNX) share price slid 43% over twelve months. That's disappointing when you consider the market returned -22%. To make matters worse, the returns over three years have also been really disappointing (the share price is 43% lower than three years ago). The falls have accelerated recently, with the share price down 24% in the last three months. But this could be related to the weak market, which is down 30% in the same period.

Check out our latest analysis for Synectics

In his essay The Superinvestors of Graham-and-Doddsville Warren Buffett described how share prices do not always rationally reflect the value of a business. One imperfect but simple way to consider how the market perception of a company has shifted is to compare the change in the earnings per share (EPS) with the share price movement.

Even though the Synectics share price is down over the year, its EPS actually improved. It could be that the share price was previously over-hyped.

It's surprising to see the share price fall so much, despite the improved EPS. So it's easy to justify a look at some other metrics.

Synectics's dividend seems healthy to us, so we doubt that the yield is a concern for the market. In fact, it seems more likely that the revenue fall of 3.8% in the last year is the worry. The market may be extrapolating the decline, leading to questions around the sustainability of the EPS.

The graphic below depicts how earnings and revenue have changed over time (unveil the exact values by clicking on the image).

AIM:SNX Income Statement April 4th 2020
AIM:SNX Income Statement April 4th 2020

Take a more thorough look at Synectics's financial health with this free report on its balance sheet.

What about the Total Shareholder Return (TSR)?

Investors should note that there's a difference between Synectics's total shareholder return (TSR) and its share price change, which we've covered above. The TSR is a return calculation that accounts for the value of cash dividends (assuming that any dividend received was reinvested) and the calculated value of any discounted capital raisings and spin-offs. Dividends have been really beneficial for Synectics shareholders, and that cash payout explains why its total shareholder loss of 43%, over the last year, isn't as bad as the share price return.

A Different Perspective

We regret to report that Synectics shareholders are down 43% for the year (even including dividends) . Unfortunately, that's worse than the broader market decline of 22%. Having said that, it's inevitable that some stocks will be oversold in a falling market. The key is to keep your eyes on the fundamental developments. Unfortunately, last year's performance may indicate unresolved challenges, given that it was worse than the annualised loss of 3.8% over the last half decade. We realise that Baron Rothschild has said investors should "buy when there is blood on the streets", but we caution that investors should first be sure they are buying a high quality business. While it is well worth considering the different impacts that market conditions can have on the share price, there are other factors that are even more important. To that end, you should be aware of the 4 warning signs we've spotted with Synectics .

We will like Synectics better if we see some big insider buys. While we wait, check out this free list of growing companies with considerable, recent, insider buying.

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

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. Thank you for reading.