Some have more dollars than sense, they say, so even companies that have no revenue, no profit, and a record of falling short, can easily find investors. And in their study titled Who Falls Prey to the Wolf of Wall Street?' Leuz et. al. found that it is 'quite common' for investors to lose money by buying into 'pump and dump' schemes.

In the age of tech-stock blue-sky investing, my choice may seem old fashioned; I still prefer profitable companies like Chelyabinsk Forge-and-Press Plant (MCX:CHKZ). While profit is not necessarily a social good, it's easy to admire a business that can consistently produce it. In comparison, loss making companies act like a sponge for capital - but unlike such a sponge they do not always produce something when squeezed.

See our latest analysis for Chelyabinsk Forge-and-Press Plant

Chelyabinsk Forge-and-Press Plant's Earnings Per Share Are Growing.

The market is a voting machine in the short term, but a weighing machine in the long term, so share price follows earnings per share (EPS) eventually. That makes EPS growth an attractive quality for any company. Impressively, Chelyabinsk Forge-and-Press Plant has grown EPS by 36% per year, compound, in the last three years. If the company can sustain that sort of growth, we'd expect shareholders to come away winners.

I like to take a look at earnings before interest and (EBIT) tax margins, as well as revenue growth, to get another take on the quality of the company's growth. Chelyabinsk Forge-and-Press Plant maintained stable EBIT margins over the last year, all while growing revenue 23% to ₽11b. That's progress.

The chart below shows how the company's bottom and top lines have progressed over time. Click on the chart to see the exact numbers.

Since Chelyabinsk Forge-and-Press Plant is no giant, with a market capitalization of ₽3.6b, so you should definitely check its cash and debt before getting too excited about its prospects.

Are Chelyabinsk Forge-and-Press Plant Insiders Aligned With All Shareholders?

Personally, I like to see high insider ownership of a company, since it suggests that it will be managed in the interests of shareholders. So we're pleased to report that Chelyabinsk Forge-and-Press Plant insiders own a meaningful share of the business. Indeed, with a collective holding of 95%, company insiders are in control and have plenty of capital behind the venture. To me this is a good sign because it suggests they will be incentivised to build value for shareholders over the long term. With that sort of holding, insiders have about ₽3.5b riding on the stock, at current prices. That's nothing to sneeze at!