Stock Analysis

Maytronics (TLV:MTRN) Ticks All The Boxes When It Comes To Earnings Growth

TASE:MTRN
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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. 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.

In contrast to all that, many investors prefer to focus on companies like Maytronics (TLV:MTRN), which has not only revenues, but also profits. Even if this company is fairly valued by the market, investors would agree that generating consistent profits will continue to provide Maytronics with the means to add long-term value to shareholders.

View our latest analysis for Maytronics

How Fast Is Maytronics Growing?

If you believe that markets are even vaguely efficient, then over the long term you'd expect a company's share price to follow its earnings per share (EPS) outcomes. So it makes sense that experienced investors pay close attention to company EPS when undertaking investment research. Impressively, Maytronics has grown EPS by 31% per year, compound, in the last three years. If growth like this continues on into the future, then shareholders will have plenty to smile about.

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. On the revenue front, Maytronics has done well over the past year, growing revenue by 25% to ₪1.6b but EBIT margin figures were less stellar, seeing a decline over the last 12 months. So it seems the future may hold further growth, especially if EBIT margins can remain steady.

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.

earnings-and-revenue-history
TASE:MTRN Earnings and Revenue History September 22nd 2022

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 Maytronics' balance sheet strength, before getting too excited.

Are Maytronics Insiders Aligned With All Shareholders?

It's a good habit to check into a company's remuneration policies to ensure that the CEO and management team aren't putting their own interests before that of the shareholder with excessive salary packages. For companies with market capitalisations between ₪3.5b and ₪11b, like Maytronics, the median CEO pay is around ₪5.2m.

Maytronics' CEO took home a total compensation package of ₪1.6m in the year prior to December 2021. That looks like a modest pay packet, and may hint at a certain respect for the interests of shareholders. While the level of CEO compensation shouldn't be the biggest factor in how the company is viewed, modest remuneration is a positive, because it suggests that the board keeps shareholder interests in mind. It can also be a sign of good governance, more generally.

Is Maytronics Worth Keeping An Eye On?

You can't deny that Maytronics has grown its earnings per share at a very impressive rate. That's attractive. Strong EPS growth is a great look for the company and reasonable CEO compensation sweetens the deal for investors ass it alludes to management being conscious of frivolous spending. Based on these factors, this stock may well deserve a spot on your watchlist, or even a little further research. You still need to take note of risks, for example - Maytronics has 2 warning signs (and 1 which can't be ignored) we think you should know about.

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 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.