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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.' 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 Harte Hanks (NASDAQ:HHS). 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.
View our latest analysis for Harte Hanks
Harte Hanks' Improving Profits
Over the last three years, Harte Hanks has grown earnings per share (EPS) at as impressive rate from a relatively low point, resulting in a three year percentage growth rate that isn't particularly indicative of expected future performance. As a result, we'll zoom in on growth over the last year, instead. In impressive fashion, Harte Hanks' EPS grew from US$1.00 to US$1.68, over the previous 12 months. It's not often a company can achieve year-on-year growth of 67%.
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. Harte Hanks shareholders can take confidence from the fact that EBIT margins are up from 2.4% to 8.3%, and revenue is growing. Ticking those two boxes is a good sign of growth, in our book.
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.
In investing, as in life, the future matters more than the past. So why not check out this free interactive visualization of Harte Hanks' forecast profits?
Are Harte Hanks Insiders Aligned With All Shareholders?
It should give investors a sense of security owning shares in a company if insiders also own shares, creating a close alignment their interests. Harte Hanks followers will find comfort in knowing that insiders have a significant amount of capital that aligns their best interests with the wider shareholder group. Indeed, they hold US$18m worth of its stock. That shows significant buy-in, and may indicate conviction in the business strategy. As a percentage, this totals to 24% of the shares on issue for the business, an appreciable amount considering the market cap.
Does Harte Hanks Deserve A Spot On Your Watchlist?
Harte Hanks' earnings have taken off in quite an impressive fashion. That EPS growth certainly is attention grabbing, and the large insider ownership only serves to further stoke our interest. The hope is, of course, that the strong growth marks a fundamental improvement in the business economics. So at the surface level, Harte Hanks is worth putting on your watchlist; after all, shareholders do well when the market underestimates fast growing companies. Still, you should learn about the 4 warning signs we've spotted with Harte Hanks.