Here's Why We Think Indian Railway Catering & Tourism (NSE:IRCTC) 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. But as Peter Lynch said in One Up On Wall Street, 'Long shots almost never pay off.' Loss making companies can act like a sponge for capital - so investors should be cautious that they're not throwing good money after bad.

Despite being in the age of tech-stock blue-sky investing, many investors still adopt a more traditional strategy; buying shares in profitable companies like Indian Railway Catering & Tourism (NSE:IRCTC). 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 Indian Railway Catering & Tourism

Indian Railway Catering & Tourism's Earnings Per Share Are 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. Shareholders will be happy to know that Indian Railway Catering & Tourism's EPS has grown 30% each year, compound, over three years. This has no doubt fuelled the optimism that sees the stock trading on a high multiple of earnings.

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. The good news is that Indian Railway Catering & Tourism is growing revenues, and EBIT margins improved by 25.6 percentage points to 44%, over the last year. Both of which are great metrics to check off for potential growth.

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 Indian Railway Catering & Tourism's balance sheet strength, before getting too excited.

Are Indian Railway Catering & Tourism 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. The median total compensation for CEOs of companies similar in size to Indian Railway Catering & Tourism, with market caps between ₹313b and ₹939b, is around ₹70m.

The CEO of Indian Railway Catering & Tourism only received ₹7.3m in total compensation for the year ending March 2021. First impressions seem to indicate a compensation policy that is favourable to 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 a culture of integrity, in a broader sense.

Is Indian Railway Catering & Tourism Worth Keeping An Eye On?

If you believe that share price follows earnings per share you should definitely be delving further into Indian Railway Catering & Tourism's strong EPS growth. The fast growth bodes well while the very reasonable CEO pay assists builds some confidence in the board. We think that based on its merits alone, this stock is worth watching into the future. Still, you should learn about the 3 warning signs we've spotted with Indian Railway Catering & Tourism (including 1 which is concerning).

Although Indian Railway Catering & Tourism 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.