It's only natural that many investors, especially those who are new to the game, prefer to buy shares in 'sexy' stocks with a good story, even if those businesses lose money. 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.
If, on the other hand, you like companies that have revenue, and even earn profits, then you may well be interested in Bass Oil (ASX:BAS). Even if the shares are fully valued today, most capitalists would recognize its profits as the demonstration of steady value generation. Loss-making companies are always racing against time to reach financial sustainability, but time is often a friend of the profitable company, especially if it is growing.
View our latest analysis for Bass Oil
Bass Oil's Improving Profits
In the last three years Bass Oil's earnings per share took off like a rocket; fast, and from a low base. So the actual rate of growth doesn't tell us much. As a result, I'll zoom in on growth over the last year, instead. It's good to see that Bass Oil's EPS have grown from US$0.00004 to US$0.000048 over twelve months. That's a 20% gain; respectable growth in the broader scheme of things.
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. I note that, last year, Bass Oil's revenue from operations was lower than its revenue, so that could distort my analysis of its margins. Bass Oil maintained stable EBIT margins over the last year, all while growing revenue 5.8% to US$4.8m. 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 Bass Oil is no giant, with a market capitalization of AU$6.7m, so you should definitely check its cash and debt before getting too excited about its prospects.
Are Bass Oil Insiders Aligned With All Shareholders?
As a general rule, I think it worth considering how much the CEO is paid, since unreasonably high rates could be considered against the interests of shareholders. I discovered that the median total compensation for the CEOs of companies like Bass Oil with market caps under US$200m is about US$293k.
The Bass Oil CEO received US$229k in compensation for the year ending . That seems pretty reasonable, especially given its below the median for similar sized companies. While the level of CEO compensation isn't a huge factor in my view of the company, modest remuneration is a positive, because it suggests that the board keeps shareholder interests in mind. It can also be a sign of a culture of integrity, in a broader sense.
Is Bass Oil Worth Keeping An Eye On?
As I already mentioned, Bass Oil is a growing business, which is what I like to see. Not only that, but the CEO is paid quite reasonably, which makes me feel more trusting of the board of directors. So all in all I think it's worth at least considering for your watchlist. What about risks? Every company has them, and we've spotted 4 warning signs for Bass Oil (of which 2 can't be ignored!) you should know about.
Of course, you can do well (sometimes) buying stocks that are not growing earnings and do not have insiders buying shares. But as a growth investor I always like to check out companies that do have those features. You can access a free list of them here.
Please note the insider transactions discussed in this article refer to reportable transactions in the relevant jurisdiction.
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About ASX:BAS
Bass Oil
Engages in the exploration, development, and production of oil and gas in Australia and Indonesia.
Flawless balance sheet with acceptable track record.