I remember in the 1990s when Bill Gates was asked about how he crafted his decisions to maximize the stock price. He replied that he paid no attention to the stock price - he concentrated on running the company well and the stock price took care of itself.

Investing in MSFT during his reign was a spectacular investment.

A CEO of another company told me he adjusted the accounting to give the metrics that Wall Street was looking for. The stock tanked (the company has since disappeared). Apparently, investors are not so easily fooled.