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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. 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. 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 Reliance Worldwide (ASX:RWC). 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.
View our latest analysis for Reliance Worldwide
How Quickly Is Reliance Worldwide Increasing Earnings Per Share?
Generally, companies experiencing growth in earnings per share (EPS) should see similar trends in share price. Therefore, there are plenty of investors who like to buy shares in companies that are growing EPS. Shareholders will be happy to know that Reliance Worldwide's EPS has grown 22% each year, compound, over three years. If the company can sustain that sort of growth, we'd expect shareholders to come away satisfied.
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. Reliance Worldwide shareholders can take confidence from the fact that EBIT margins are up from 17% to 20%, and revenue is growing. Ticking those two boxes is a good sign of growth, in our book.
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.
Fortunately, we've got access to analyst forecasts of Reliance Worldwide's future profits. You can do your own forecasts without looking, or you can take a peek at what the professionals are predicting.
Are Reliance Worldwide Insiders Aligned With All Shareholders?
Insider interest in a company always sparks a bit of intrigue and many investors are on the lookout for companies where insiders are putting their money where their mouth is. This view is based on the possibility that stock purchases signal bullishness on behalf of the buyer. Of course, we can never be sure what insiders are thinking, we can only judge their actions.
In the last year insider at Reliance Worldwide were both selling and buying shares; but happily, as a group they spent US$95k more on stock, than they netted from selling it. Shareholders who may have questioned insiders selling will find some reassurance in this fact. Zooming in, we can see that the biggest insider purchase was by Independent Non-Executive Director Sharon McCrohan for AU$114k worth of shares, at about AU$3.81 per share.