Shareholders in OPAL Fuels (NASDAQ:OPAL) are in the red if they invested a year ago

It's normal to be annoyed when stock you own has a declining share price. But in the short term the market is a voting machine, and the share price movements may not reflect the underlying business performance. The OPAL Fuels Inc. (NASDAQ:OPAL) share price is down 13% in the last year. But that actually beats the market decline of 23%. We wouldn't rush to judgement on OPAL Fuels because we don't have a long term history to look at. The share price has dropped 15% in three months.

It's worthwhile assessing if the company's economics have been moving in lockstep with these underwhelming shareholder returns, or if there is some disparity between the two. So let's do just that.

See our latest analysis for OPAL Fuels

There is no denying that markets are sometimes efficient, but prices do not always reflect underlying business performance. One flawed but reasonable way to assess how sentiment around a company has changed is to compare the earnings per share (EPS) with the share price.

A Different Perspective

While they no doubt would have preferred make a profit, at least OPAL Fuels shareholders didn't do too badly in the last year. Their loss of 13%, actually beat the broader market, which lost around 23%. Things weren't so bad until the last three months, when the stock dropped 15%. The recent drop implies that investors are increasingly averse to the stock -- quite possibly due to a deterioration of the business. In times of uncertainty we usually try to focus on the long term fundamental business metrics. 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. For instance, we've identified 3 warning signs for OPAL Fuels (2 are potentially serious) that you should be aware of.

If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of companies that have proven they can grow earnings.

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

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