The excitement of investing in a company that can reverse its fortunes is a big draw for some speculators, so even companies that have no revenue, no profit, and a record of falling short, can manage to find investors. Sometimes these stories can cloud the minds of investors, leading them to invest with their emotions rather than on the merit of good company fundamentals. Loss-making companies are always racing against time to reach financial sustainability, so investors in these companies may be taking on more risk than they should.
In contrast to all that, many investors prefer to focus on companies like Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL), 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.
Check out our latest analysis for Alphabet
If you believe that markets are even vaguely efficient, then over the long term you’d expect a company’s share price to follow its earnings per share (EPS) outcomes. So it makes sense that experienced investors pay close attention to company EPS when undertaking investment research. We can see that in the last three years Alphabet grew its EPS by 14% per year. That’s a pretty good rate, if the company can sustain it.
Top-line growth is a great indicator that growth is sustainable, and combined with a high earnings before interest and taxation (EBIT) margin, it’s a great way for a company to maintain a competitive advantage in the market. Alphabet shareholders can take confidence from the fact that EBIT margins are up from 27% to 32%, and revenue is growing. Both of which are great metrics to check off for potential growth.
The chart below shows how the company’s bottom and top lines have progressed over time. For finer detail, click on the image.
Of course the knack is to find stocks that have their best days in the future, not in the past. You could base your opinion on past performance, of course, but you may also want to check this interactive graph of professional analyst EPS forecasts for Alphabet.
Owing to the size of Alphabet, we wouldn’t expect insiders to hold a significant proportion of the company. But thanks to their investment in the company, it’s pleasing to see that there are still incentives to align their actions with the shareholders. Indeed, they have a considerable amount of wealth invested in it, currently valued at US$241b. Holders should find this level of insider commitment quite encouraging, since it would ensure that the leaders of the company would also experience their success, or failure, with the stock.
While it’s always good to see some strong conviction in the company from insiders through heavy investment, it’s also important for shareholders to ask if management compensation policies are reasonable. Well, based on the CEO pay, you’d argue that they are indeed. Our analysis has discovered that the median total compensation for the CEOs of companies like Alphabet, with market caps over US$8.0b, is about US$13m.
The Alphabet CEO received US$8.8m in compensation for the year ending December 2023. That comes in below the average for similar sized companies and seems pretty reasonable. CEO compensation is hardly the most important aspect of a company to consider, but when it’s reasonable, that gives a little more confidence that leadership are looking out for shareholder interests. It can also be a sign of good governance, more generally.
As previously touched on, Alphabet is a growing business, which is encouraging. Earnings growth might be the main attraction for Alphabet, but the fun does not stop there. With company insiders aligning themselves considerably with the company’s success and modest CEO compensation, there’s no arguments that this is a stock worth looking into. Of course, identifying quality businesses is only half the battle; investors need to know whether the stock is undervalued. So you might want to consider this free discounted cashflow valuation of Alphabet.
Although Alphabet certainly looks good, it may appeal to more investors if insiders were buying up shares. If you like to see companies with more skin in the game, then check out this handpicked selection of companies that not only boast of strong growth but have strong insider backing.
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.
