In This Article:
Investors are often guided by the idea of discovering 'the next big thing', even if that means buying 'story stocks' without any revenue, let alone profit. Unfortunately, these high risk investments often have little probability of ever paying off, and many investors pay a price to learn their lesson. Loss making companies can act like a sponge for capital - so investors should be cautious that they're not throwing good money after bad.
So if this idea of high risk and high reward doesn't suit, you might be more interested in profitable, growing companies, like 360 DigiTech (NASDAQ:QFIN). While this doesn't necessarily speak to whether it's undervalued, the profitability of the business is enough to warrant some appreciation - especially if its growing.
See our latest analysis for 360 DigiTech
360 DigiTech's Improving Profits
360 DigiTech has undergone a massive growth in earnings per share over the last three years. So much so that this three year growth rate wouldn't be a fair assessment of the company's future. So it would be better to isolate the growth rate over the last year for our analysis. 360 DigiTech boosted its trailing twelve month EPS from CN¥30.96 to CN¥36.16, in the last year. This amounts to a 17% gain; a figure that shareholders will be pleased to see.
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. It's noted that 360 DigiTech's revenue from operations was lower than its revenue in the last twelve months, so that could distort our analysis of its margins. While 360 DigiTech did well to grow revenue over the last year, EBIT margins were dampened at the same time. So it seems the future may hold further growth, especially if EBIT margins can remain steady.
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.
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 360 DigiTech.
Are 360 DigiTech Insiders Aligned With All Shareholders?
It's pleasing to see company leaders with putting their money on the line, so to speak, because it increases alignment of incentives between the people running the business, and its true owners. Shareholders will be pleased by the fact that insiders own 360 DigiTech shares worth a considerable sum. We note that their impressive stake in the company is worth CN¥457m. This totals to 21% of shares in the company. Enough to lead management's decision making process down a path that brings the most benefit to shareholders. Very encouraging.