It's common for many investors, especially those who are inexperienced, to buy shares in companies with a good story even if these companies are loss-making. But as Peter Lynch said in One Up On Wall Street, 'Long shots almost never pay off.' While a well funded company may sustain losses for years, it will need to generate a profit eventually, or else investors will move on and the company will wither away.
In contrast to all that, many investors prefer to focus on companies like Vincent Medical Holdings (HKG:1612), which has not only revenues, but also profits. Now this is not to say that the company presents the best investment opportunity around, but profitability is a key component to success in business.
The market is a voting machine in the short term, but a weighing machine in the long term, so you'd expect share price to follow earnings per share (EPS) outcomes eventually. That makes EPS growth an attractive quality for any company. Over the last three years, Vincent Medical Holdings has grown EPS by 4.5% per year. That might not be particularly high growth, but it does show that per-share earnings are moving steadily in the right direction.
One way to double-check a company's growth is to look at how its revenue, and earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) margins are changing. Vincent Medical Holdings maintained stable EBIT margins over the last year, all while growing revenue 12% to HK$801m. That's encouraging news for the company!
The chart below shows how the company's bottom and top lines have progressed over time. To see the actual numbers, click on the chart.
Check out our latest analysis for Vincent Medical Holdings
Vincent Medical Holdings isn't a huge company, given its market capitalisation of HK$542m. That makes it extra important to check on its balance sheet strength.
It's a good habit to check into a company's remuneration policies to ensure that the CEO and management team aren't putting their own interests before that of the shareholder with excessive salary packages. For companies with market capitalisations under HK$1.6b, like Vincent Medical Holdings, the median CEO pay is around HK$1.8m.
Vincent Medical Holdings' CEO took home a total compensation package worth HK$1.5m in the year leading up to December 2024. That seems pretty reasonable, especially given it's below the median for similar sized companies. CEO remuneration levels are not the most important metric for investors, but when the pay is modest, that does support enhanced alignment between the CEO and the ordinary shareholders. It can also be a sign of a culture of integrity, in a broader sense.
One positive for Vincent Medical Holdings is that it is growing EPS. That's nice to see. On top of that, our faith in the board of directors is strengthened by the fact of the reasonable CEO pay. So based on its merits, the stock deserves further research, if not an addition to your watchlist. Don't forget that there may still be risks. For instance, we've identified 5 warning signs for Vincent Medical Holdings (2 don't sit too well with us) you should be aware of.
There's always the possibility of doing well buying stocks that are not growing earnings and do not have insiders buying shares. But for those who consider these important metrics, we encourage you to check out companies that do have those features. You can access a tailored list of Hong Kong companies which have demonstrated growth backed by significant insider holdings.
Please note the insider transactions discussed in this article refer to reportable transactions in the relevant jurisdiction.
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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.