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. But as Peter Lynch said in One Up On Wall Street, 'Long shots almost never pay off.'
In contrast to all that, I prefer to spend time on companies like Dottikon Es Holding (VTX:DESN), which has not only revenues, but also profits. While that doesn't make the shares worth buying at any price, you can't deny that successful capitalism requires profit, eventually. Conversely, a loss-making company is yet to prove itself with profit, and eventually the sweet milk of external capital may run sour.
View our latest analysis for Dottikon Es Holding
How Quickly Is Dottikon Es Holding Increasing Earnings Per Share?
As one of my mentors once told me, share price follows earnings per share (EPS). That means EPS growth is considered a real positive by most successful long-term investors. It certainly is nice to see that Dottikon Es Holding has managed to grow EPS by 20% per year over three years. This has no doubt fuelled the optimism that sees the stock trading on a high multiple of earnings.
One way to double-check a company's growth is to look at how its revenue, and earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) margins are changing. While we note Dottikon Es Holding's EBIT margins were flat over the last year, revenue grew by a solid 12% to CHF189m. 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 it's always good to see growing profits, you should always remember that a weak balance sheet could come back to bite. So check Dottikon Es Holding's balance sheet strength, before getting too excited.
Are Dottikon Es Holding Insiders Aligned With All Shareholders?
It makes me feel more secure owning shares in a company if insiders also own shares, thusly more closely aligning our interests. So it is good to see that Dottikon Es Holding insiders have a significant amount of capital invested in the stock. Indeed, they have a glittering mountain of wealth invested in it, currently valued at CHF525m. Coming in at 25% of the business, that holding gives insiders a lot of influence, and plenty of reason to generate value for shareholders. So it might be my imagination, but I do sense the glimmer of an opportunity.
Is Dottikon Es Holding Worth Keeping An Eye On?
Given my belief that share price follows earnings per share you can easily imagine how I feel about Dottikon Es Holding's strong EPS growth. Further, the high level of insider ownership impresses me, and suggests that I'm not the only one who appreciates the EPS growth. Fast growth and confident insiders should be enough to warrant further research. So the answer is that I do think this is a good stock to follow along with. Don't forget that there may still be risks. For instance, we've identified 1 warning sign for Dottikon Es Holding that you should be aware of.
Although Dottikon Es Holding certainly looks good to me, I would like it more if insiders were buying up shares. If you like to see insider buying, too, then this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying, could be exactly what you're looking for.
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. 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.
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About SWX:DESN
Dottikon ES Holding
Manufactures and sells performance chemicals, intermediates, and active pharmaceutical ingredients for the chemical, biotech, and pharmaceutical industries worldwide.
Excellent balance sheet with concerning outlook.