Should You Be Adding Howden Joinery Group (LON:HWDN) To Your Watchlist Today?

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. But as Peter Lynch said in One Up On Wall Street, 'Long shots almost never pay off.' 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 Howden Joinery Group (LON:HWDN). Even if this company is fairly valued by the market, investors would agree that generating consistent profits will continue to provide Howden Joinery Group with the means to add long-term value to shareholders.

See our latest analysis for Howden Joinery Group

How Quickly Is Howden Joinery Group 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 makes EPS growth an attractive quality for any company. It certainly is nice to see that Howden Joinery Group has managed to grow EPS by 22% per year over three years. As a general rule, we'd say that if a company can keep up that sort of growth, shareholders will be beaming.

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. Howden Joinery Group maintained stable EBIT margins over the last year, all while growing revenue 19% to UK£2.2b. That's encouraging news for the company!

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 Howden Joinery Group?

Are Howden Joinery Group 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. Of course, we can never be sure what insiders are thinking, we can only judge their actions.

It's good to see Howden Joinery Group insiders walking the walk, by spending UK£569k on shares in just twelve months. This, combined with the lack of sales from insiders, should be a great signal for shareholders in what's to come. Zooming in, we can see that the biggest insider purchase was by CEO & Executive Director Andrew Livingston for UK£154k worth of shares, at about UK£7.92 per share.

Is Howden Joinery Group Worth Keeping An Eye On?

For growth investors, Howden Joinery Group's raw rate of earnings growth is a beacon in the night. The growth rate should be enticing enough to consider researching the company, and the insider buying is a great added bonus. To put it succinctly; Howden Joinery Group is a strong candidate for your watchlist. Still, you should learn about the 2 warning signs we've spotted with Howden Joinery Group (including 1 which is potentially serious).

Keen growth investors love to see insider buying. Thankfully, Howden Joinery Group 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.