Should You Be Adding Adani Enterprises (NSE:ADANIENT) To Your Watchlist Today?

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 the reality is that when a company loses money each year, for long enough, its investors will usually take their share of those losses. 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.

If this kind of company isn't your style, you like companies that generate revenue, and even earn profits, then you may well be interested in Adani Enterprises (NSE:ADANIENT). 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 Adani Enterprises

How Fast Is Adani Enterprises Growing Its Earnings Per Share?

Adani Enterprises has undergone a massive growth in earnings per share over the last three years. So much so that this three year growth rate wouldn't be a fair assessment of the company's future. So it would be better to isolate the growth rate over the last year for our analysis. Impressively, Adani Enterprises' EPS catapulted from ₹18.27 to ₹30.81, over the last year. It's not often a company can achieve year-on-year growth of 69%.

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. Adani Enterprises' EBIT margins have actually improved by 4.1 percentage points in the last year, to reach 7.8%, but, on the flip side, revenue was down 18%. That falls short of ideal.

The chart below shows how the company's bottom and top lines have progressed over time. To see the actual numbers, click on the chart.

The trick, as an investor, is to find companies that are going to perform well in the future, not just in the past. While crystal balls don't exist, you can check our visualization of consensus analyst forecasts for Adani Enterprises' future EPS 100% free.

Are Adani Enterprises 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 over ₹666b, like Adani Enterprises, the median CEO pay is around ₹85m.

Adani Enterprises' CEO took home a total compensation package worth ₹56m in the year leading up to March 2023. That seems pretty reasonable, especially given it's below the median for similar sized companies. 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.

Does Adani Enterprises Deserve A Spot On Your Watchlist?

Adani Enterprises' earnings per share growth have been climbing higher at an appreciable rate. Such fast EPS growth prompts the question: has the business reached an inflection point? Meanwhile, the very reasonable CEO pay is a great reassurance, since it points to an absence of wasteful spending habits. So faced with these facts, it seems that researching this stock a little more may lead you to discover an investment opportunity that meets your quality standards. What about risks? Every company has them, and we've spotted 1 warning sign for Adani Enterprises 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 tailored list of Indian companies which have demonstrated growth backed by recent insider purchases.

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.