For beginners, it can seem like a good idea (and an exciting prospect) to buy a company that tells a good story to investors, even if it completely lacks a track record of revenue and profit. But the reality is that when a company loses money each year, for long enough, its investors will usually take their share of those losses.
So if you’re like me, you might be more interested in profitable, growing companies, like Italmobiliare (BIT:ITM). While profit is not necessarily a social good, it’s easy to admire a business that can consistently produce it. Conversely, a loss-making company is yet to prove itself with profit, and eventually the sweet milk of external capital may run sour.
View our latest analysis for Italmobiliare
Italmobiliare’s Earnings Per Share Are Growing.
The market is a voting machine in the short term, but a weighing machine in the long term, so share price follows earnings per share (EPS) eventually. That makes EPS growth an attractive quality for any company. As a tree reaches steadily for the sky, Italmobiliare’s EPS has grown 17% each year, compound, over three years. As a general rule, we’d say that if a company can keep up that sort of growth, shareholders will be smiling.
Careful consideration of revenue growth and earnings before interest and taxation (EBIT) margins can help inform a view on the sustainability of the recent profit growth. Not all of Italmobiliare’s revenue last year was revenue from operations, so keep in mind the revenue and margin numbers I’ve used might not be the best representation of the underlying business. Italmobiliare shareholders can take confidence from the fact that EBIT margins are up from 11% to 17%, and revenue is growing. That’s great to see, on both counts.
You can take a look at the company’s revenue and earnings growth trend, in the chart below. For finer detail, click on the image.
BIT:ITM Income Statement April 14th 2020
While it’s always good to see growing profits, you should always remember that a weak balance sheet could come back to bite. So check Italmobiliare’s balance sheet strength, before getting too excited.
Are Italmobiliare Insiders Aligned With All Shareholders?
I like company leaders to have some skin in the game, so to speak, because it increases alignment of incentives between the people running the business, and its true owners. As a result, I’m encouraged by the fact that insiders own Italmobiliare shares worth a considerable sum. Indeed, they hold €21m worth of its stock. That shows significant buy-in, and may indicate conviction in the business strategy. Even though that’s only about 2.0% of the company, it’s enough money to indicate alignment between the leaders of the business and ordinary shareholders.
Is Italmobiliare Worth Keeping An Eye On?
For growth investors like me, Italmobiliare’s raw rate of earnings growth is a beacon in the night. Further, the high level of insider ownership impresses me, and suggests that I’m not the only one who appreciates the EPS growth. So this is very likely the kind of business that I like to spend time researching, with a view to discerning its true value. Still, you should learn about the 1 warning sign we’ve spotted with Italmobiliare .
Although Italmobiliare certainly looks good to me, I would like it more if insiders were buying up shares. If you like to see insider buying, too, then this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying, could be exactly what you’re looking for.
Please note the insider transactions discussed in this article refer to reportable transactions in the relevant jurisdiction.
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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