Here's Why We Think Shanghai Pioneer Holding (HKG:1345) Is Well Worth Watching

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.

So if this idea of high risk and high reward doesn't suit, you might be more interested in profitable, growing companies, like Shanghai Pioneer Holding (HKG:1345). While profit isn't the sole metric that should be considered when investing, it's worth recognising businesses that can consistently produce it.

Check out our latest analysis for Shanghai Pioneer Holding

Shanghai Pioneer Holding's Earnings Per Share Are Growing

Generally, companies experiencing growth in earnings per share (EPS) should see similar trends in share price. Therefore, there are plenty of investors who like to buy shares in companies that are growing EPS. It certainly is nice to see that Shanghai Pioneer Holding has managed to grow EPS by 32% per year over three years. If the company can sustain that sort of growth, we'd expect shareholders to come away satisfied.

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. While we note Shanghai Pioneer Holding achieved similar EBIT margins to last year, revenue grew by a solid 8.4% to CN¥1.6b. That's progress.

You can take a look at the company's revenue and earnings growth trend, in the chart below. Click on the chart to see the exact numbers.

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 Shanghai Pioneer Holding's balance sheet strength, before getting too excited.

Are Shanghai Pioneer Holding Insiders Aligned With All Shareholders?

Prior to investment, it's always a good idea to check that the management team is paid reasonably. Pay levels around or below the median, can be a sign that shareholder interests are well considered. For companies with market capitalisations between CN¥1.4b and CN¥5.8b, like Shanghai Pioneer Holding, the median CEO pay is around CN¥3.0m.

Shanghai Pioneer Holding's CEO took home a total compensation package of CN¥752k in the year prior to December 2022. That's clearly well below average, so at a glance that arrangement seems generous to shareholders and points to a modest remuneration culture. CEO remuneration levels are not the most important metric for investors, but when the pay is modest, that does support enhanced alignment between the CEO and the ordinary shareholders. It can also be a sign of good governance, more generally.

Is Shanghai Pioneer Holding Worth Keeping An Eye On?

If you believe that share price follows earnings per share you should definitely be delving further into Shanghai Pioneer Holding's strong EPS growth. With swiftly growing earnings, the best days may still be to come, and the modest CEO pay suggests the company is careful with cash. So this stock is well worth an addition to your watchlist as it has the potential to provide great value to shareholders. It is worth noting though that we have found 3 warning signs for Shanghai Pioneer Holding (2 can't be ignored!) that you need to take into consideration.

The beauty of investing is that you can invest in almost any company you want. But if you prefer to focus on stocks that have demonstrated insider buying, here is a list of companies with insider buying in the last three months.

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.