Do National Bank of Canada's (TSE:NA) Earnings Warrant Your Attention?

The excitement of investing in a company that can reverse its fortunes is a big draw for some speculators, so even companies that have no revenue, no profit, and a record of falling short, can manage to find investors. But as Peter Lynch said in One Up On Wall Street, 'Long shots almost never pay off.' 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 National Bank of Canada (TSE:NA). 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 National Bank of Canada

How Quickly Is National Bank of Canada Increasing Earnings Per Share?

The market is a voting machine in the short term, but a weighing machine in the long term, so you'd expect share price to follow earnings per share (EPS) outcomes eventually. That means EPS growth is considered a real positive by most successful long-term investors. Shareholders will be happy to know that National Bank of Canada's EPS has grown 18% each year, compound, over three years. If the company can sustain that sort of growth, we'd expect shareholders to come away satisfied.

Careful consideration of revenue growth and earnings before interest and taxation (EBIT) margins can help inform a view on the sustainability of the recent profit growth. It's noted that National Bank of Canada's revenue from operations was lower than its revenue in the last twelve months, so that could distort our analysis of its margins. While we note National Bank of Canada achieved similar EBIT margins to last year, revenue grew by a solid 17% to CA$9.5b. That's progress.

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.

While we live in the present moment, there's little doubt that the future matters most in the investment decision process. So why not check this interactive chart depicting future EPS estimates, for National Bank of Canada?

Are National Bank of Canada 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. Because often, the purchase of stock is a sign that the buyer views it as undervalued. However, small purchases are not always indicative of conviction, and insiders don't always get it right.

Although we did see some insider selling (worth CA$375k) this was overshadowed by a mountain of buying, totalling CA$2.5m in just one year. This bodes well for National Bank of Canada as it highlights the fact that those who are important to the company having a lot of faith in its future. Zooming in, we can see that the biggest insider purchase was by President Laurent Ferreira for CA$1.4m worth of shares, at about CA$96.74 per share.

The good news, alongside the insider buying, for National Bank of Canada bulls is that insiders (collectively) have a meaningful investment in the stock. To be specific, they have CA$59m worth of shares. This considerable investment should help drive long-term value in the business. While their ownership only accounts for 0.2%, this is still a considerable amount at stake to encourage the business to maintain a strategy that will deliver value to shareholders.

While insiders are apparently happy to hold and accumulate shares, that is just part of the big picture. The cherry on top is that the CEO, Laurent Ferreira is paid comparatively modestly to CEOs at similar sized companies. For companies with market capitalisations over CA$10b, like National Bank of Canada, the median CEO pay is around CA$10m.

National Bank of Canada's CEO took home a total compensation package worth CA$9.0m in the year leading up to October 2021. That comes in below the average for similar sized companies and seems pretty reasonable. CEO compensation is hardly the most important aspect of a company to consider, but when it's reasonable, that gives a little more confidence that leadership are looking out for shareholder interests. It can also be a sign of good governance, more generally.

Is National Bank of Canada Worth Keeping An Eye On?

You can't deny that National Bank of Canada has grown its earnings per share at a very impressive rate. That's attractive. Furthermore, company insiders have been adding to their significant stake in the company. Astute investors will want to keep this stock on watch. You still need to take note of risks, for example - National Bank of Canada has 1 warning sign we think you should be aware of.

Keen growth investors love to see insider buying. Thankfully, National Bank of Canada isn't the only one. You can see a 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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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.