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. 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. A loss-making company is yet to prove itself with profit, and eventually the inflow of external capital may dry up.

Despite being in the age of tech-stock blue-sky investing, many investors still adopt a more traditional strategy; buying shares in profitable companies like CompuGroup Medical SE KGaA (ETR:COP). While profit isn't the sole metric that should be considered when investing, it's worth recognising businesses that can consistently produce it.

View our latest analysis for CompuGroup Medical SE KGaA

How Fast Is CompuGroup Medical SE KGaA Growing?

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. That makes EPS growth an attractive quality for any company. CompuGroup Medical SE KGaA managed to grow EPS by 11% per year, over three years. That's a good rate of growth, if it can be sustained.

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. CompuGroup Medical SE KGaA shareholders can take confidence from the fact that EBIT margins are up from 9.0% to 11%, 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.

You don't drive with your eyes on the rear-view mirror, so you might be more interested in this free report showing analyst forecasts for CompuGroup Medical SE KGaA's future profits.

Are CompuGroup Medical SE KGaA Insiders Aligned With All Shareholders?

Seeing insiders owning a large portion of the shares on issue is often a good sign. Their incentives will be aligned with the investors and there's less of a probability in a sudden sell-off that would impact the share price. So those who are interested in CompuGroup Medical SE KGaA will be delighted to know that insiders have shown their belief, holding a large proportion of the company's shares. In fact, they own 52% of the company, so they will share in the same delights and challenges experienced by the ordinary shareholders. This should be seen as a good thing, as it means insiders have a personal interest in delivering the best outcomes for shareholders. At the current share price, that insider holding is worth a staggering €1.1b. This is an incredible endorsement from them.