Stock Analysis

Here's Why We Think As Commercial Industrial Company of Computers and Toys (ATH:ASCO) Is Well Worth Watching

ATSE:ASCO
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Investors are often guided by the idea of discovering 'the next big thing', even if that means buying 'story stocks' without any revenue, let alone profit. Sometimes these stories can cloud the minds of investors, leading them to invest with their emotions rather than on the merit of good company fundamentals. While a well funded company may sustain losses for years, it will need to generate a profit eventually, or else investors will move on and the company will wither away.

In contrast to all that, many investors prefer to focus on companies like As Commercial Industrial Company of Computers and Toys (ATH:ASCO), which has not only revenues, but also profits. While this doesn't necessarily speak to whether it's undervalued, the profitability of the business is enough to warrant some appreciation - especially if its growing.

See our latest analysis for As Commercial Industrial Company of Computers and Toys

How Fast Is As Commercial Industrial Company of Computers and Toys 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. So it makes sense that experienced investors pay close attention to company EPS when undertaking investment research. Impressively, As Commercial Industrial Company of Computers and Toys has grown EPS by 34% per year, compound, in the last 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. While revenue is looking a bit flat, the good news is EBIT margins improved by 2.5 percentage points to 17%, in the last twelve months. That's a real positive.

You can take a look at the company's revenue and earnings growth trend, in the chart below. To see the actual numbers, click on the chart.

earnings-and-revenue-history
ATSE:ASCO Earnings and Revenue History June 26th 2024

Since As Commercial Industrial Company of Computers and Toys is no giant, with a market capitalisation of €39m, you should definitely check its cash and debt before getting too excited about its prospects.

Are As Commercial Industrial Company of Computers and Toys Insiders Aligned With All Shareholders?

Seeing insiders owning a large portion of the shares on issue is often a good sign. Their incentives will be aligned with the investors and there's less of a probability in a sudden sell-off that would impact the share price. So as you can imagine, the fact that As Commercial Industrial Company of Computers and Toys insiders own a significant number of shares certainly is appealing. To be exact, company insiders hold 66% of the company, so their decisions have a significant impact on their investments. Intuition will tell you this is a good sign because it suggests they will be incentivised to build value for shareholders over the long term. To give you an idea, the value of insiders' holdings in the business are valued at €26m at the current share price. That's nothing to sneeze at!

Is As Commercial Industrial Company of Computers and Toys Worth Keeping An Eye On?

If you believe that share price follows earnings per share you should definitely be delving further into As Commercial Industrial Company of Computers and Toys' strong EPS growth. This EPS growth rate is something the company should be proud of, and so it's no surprise that insiders are holding on to a considerable chunk of shares. The growth and insider confidence is looked upon well and so it's worthwhile to investigate further with a view to discern the stock's true value. Don't forget that there may still be risks. For instance, we've identified 3 warning signs for As Commercial Industrial Company of Computers and Toys (1 is a bit unpleasant) you should be aware of.

There's always the possibility of doing well buying stocks that are not growing earnings and do not have insiders buying shares. But for those who consider these important metrics, we encourage you to check out companies that do have those features. You can access a tailored list of Greek companies which have demonstrated growth backed by significant insider holdings.

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.