If you love investing in stocks you're bound to buy some losers. But the long term shareholders of Superior Industries International, Inc. (NYSE:SUP) have had an unfortunate run in the last three years. So they might be feeling emotional about the 54% share price collapse, in that time. The more recent news is of little comfort, with the share price down 33% in a year. Shareholders have had an even rougher run lately, with the share price down 29% in the last 90 days.

So let's have a look and see if the longer term performance of the company has been in line with the underlying business' progress.

Check out our latest analysis for Superior Industries International

Superior Industries International wasn't profitable in the last twelve months, it is unlikely we'll see a strong correlation between its share price and its earnings per share (EPS). Arguably revenue is our next best option. Generally speaking, companies without profits are expected to grow revenue every year, and at a good clip. That's because it's hard to be confident a company will be sustainable if revenue growth is negligible, and it never makes a profit.

Over the last three years, Superior Industries International's revenue dropped 3.4% per year. That is not a good result. With revenue in decline, and profit but a dream, we can understand why the share price has been declining at 16% per year. Of course, it's the future that will determine whether today's price is a good one. We don't generally like to own companies that lose money and can't grow revenues. But any company is worth looking at when it makes a maiden profit.

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 Superior Industries International stock, you should check out this FREE detailed report on its balance sheet.

A Different Perspective

While the broader market gained around 27% in the last year, Superior Industries International shareholders lost 33%. Even the share prices of good stocks drop sometimes, but we want to see improvements in the fundamental metrics of a business, before getting too interested. Unfortunately, last year's performance may indicate unresolved challenges, given that it was worse than the annualised loss of 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. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand Superior Industries International better, we need to consider many other factors. Case in point: We've spotted 3 warning signs for Superior Industries International you should be aware of.

Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of companies we expect will grow earnings.

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.