Here's Why VERBUND (VIE:VER) Has Caught The Eye Of Investors

For beginners, it can seem like a good idea (and an exciting prospect) to buy a company that tells a good story to investors, even if it currently lacks a track record of revenue and 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. Loss-making companies are always racing against time to reach financial sustainability, so investors in these companies may be taking on more risk than they should.

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 VERBUND (VIE:VER). Even if this company is fairly valued by the market, investors would agree that generating consistent profits will continue to provide VERBUND with the means to add long-term value to shareholders.

Check out our latest analysis for VERBUND

VERBUND's Improving Profits

Over the last three years, VERBUND 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, VERBUND's EPS grew from €3.89 to €7.58, over the previous 12 months. It's not often a company can achieve year-on-year growth of 95%. The best case scenario? That the business has hit a true inflection point.

It's often helpful to take a look at earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) margins, as well as revenue growth, to get another take on the quality of the company's growth. Not all of VERBUND's revenue last year was revenue from operations, so keep in mind the revenue and margin numbers used in this article might not be the best representation of the underlying business. VERBUND shareholders can take confidence from the fact that EBIT margins are up from 20% to 34%, and revenue is growing. That's great to see, on both counts.

You can take a look at the company's revenue and earnings growth trend, in the chart below. Click on the chart to see the exact numbers.

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 VERBUND.

Are VERBUND Insiders Aligned With All Shareholders?

As a general rule, it's worth considering how much the CEO is paid, since unreasonably high rates could be considered against the interests of shareholders. For companies with market capitalisations over €7.3b, like VERBUND, the median CEO pay is around €4.0m.

The VERBUND CEO received total compensation of just €1.6m in the year to December 2022. That's clearly well below average, so at a glance that arrangement seems generous to shareholders and points to a modest remuneration culture. While the level of CEO compensation shouldn't be the biggest factor in how the company is viewed, modest remuneration is a positive, because it suggests that the board keeps shareholder interests in mind. It can also be a sign of good governance, more generally.

Is VERBUND Worth Keeping An Eye On?

VERBUND's earnings per share growth have been climbing higher at an appreciable rate. Such fast EPS growth prompts the question: has the business reached an inflection point? What's more, the fact that the CEO's compensation is quite reasonable is a sign that the company is conscious of excessive spending. It will definitely require further research to be sure, but it does seem that VERBUND has the hallmarks of a quality business; and that would make it well worth watching. It's still necessary to consider the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 2 warning signs with VERBUND (at least 1 which shouldn't be ignored) , and understanding them should be part of your investment process.

There's always the possibility of doing well buying stocks that are not growing earnings and do not have insiders buying shares. But for those who consider these important metrics, we encourage you to check out companies that do have those features. You can access a tailored list of Austrian companies which have demonstrated growth backed by recent insider purchases.

Please note the insider transactions discussed in this article refer to reportable transactions in the relevant jurisdiction.

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.