Should You Be Adding QinetiQ Group (LON:QQ.) To Your Watchlist Today?

It's common for many investors, especially those who are inexperienced, to buy shares in companies with a good story even if these companies are loss-making. But the reality is that when a company loses money each year, for long enough, its investors will usually take their share of those losses. A loss-making company is yet to prove itself with profit, and eventually the inflow of external capital may dry up.

In contrast to all that, many investors prefer to focus on companies like QinetiQ Group (LON:QQ.), which has not only revenues, but also profits. 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.

See our latest analysis for QinetiQ Group

How Fast Is QinetiQ Group Growing?

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. Therefore, there are plenty of investors who like to buy shares in companies that are growing EPS. Over the last three years, QinetiQ Group has grown EPS by 12% per year. That growth rate is fairly good, assuming the company can keep it up.

Top-line growth is a great indicator that growth is sustainable, and combined with a high earnings before interest and taxation (EBIT) margin, it's a great way for a company to maintain a competitive advantage in the market. The good news is that QinetiQ Group is growing revenues, and EBIT margins improved by 3.9 percentage points to 13%, over the last year. Ticking those two boxes is a good sign of growth, in our book.

In the chart below, you can see how the company has grown earnings and revenue, over time. 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 QinetiQ Group.

Are QinetiQ Group Insiders Aligned With All Shareholders?

It's pleasing to see company leaders with putting their money on the line, so to speak, because it increases alignment of incentives between the people running the business, and its true owners. QinetiQ Group followers will find comfort in knowing that insiders have a significant amount of capital that aligns their best interests with the wider shareholder group. Notably, they have an enviable stake in the company, worth UK£214m. This suggests that leadership will be very mindful of shareholders' interests when making decisions!

Is QinetiQ Group Worth Keeping An Eye On?

As previously touched on, QinetiQ Group is a growing business, which is encouraging. If that's not enough on its own, there is also the rather notable levels of insider ownership. That combination is very appealing. So yes, we do think the stock is worth keeping an eye on. We don't want to rain on the parade too much, but we did also find 2 warning signs for QinetiQ Group (1 is a bit unpleasant!) that you need to be mindful of.

Although QinetiQ Group certainly looks good, it may appeal to more investors if insiders were buying up shares. If you like to see insider buying, 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. 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.