Does Ruby Mills (NSE:RUBYMILLS) Deserve A Spot On Your Watchlist?

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. 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 Ruby Mills (NSE:RUBYMILLS), which has not only revenues, but also profits. While profit isn't the sole metric that should be considered when investing, it's worth recognising businesses that can consistently produce it.

See our latest analysis for Ruby Mills

How Quickly Is Ruby Mills Increasing Earnings Per Share?

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, Ruby Mills has grown EPS by 31% 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.

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. Ruby Mills maintained stable EBIT margins over the last year, all while growing revenue 35% to ₹2.5b. That's a real positive.

You can take a look at the company's revenue and earnings growth trend, in the chart below. For finer detail, click on the image.

Since Ruby Mills is no giant, with a market capitalisation of ₹5.3b, you should definitely check its cash and debt before getting too excited about its prospects.

Are Ruby Mills Insiders Aligned With All Shareholders?

It's pleasing to see company leaders with putting their money on the line, so to speak, because it increases alignment of incentives between the people running the business, and its true owners. Ruby Mills followers will find comfort in knowing that insiders have a significant amount of capital that aligns their best interests with the wider shareholder group. To be specific, they have ₹1.8b worth of shares. That's a lot of money, and no small incentive to work hard. As a percentage, this totals to 34% of the shares on issue for the business, an appreciable amount considering the market cap.

Does Ruby Mills Deserve A Spot On Your Watchlist?

For growth investors, Ruby Mills' raw rate of earnings growth is a beacon in the night. 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. Fast growth and confident insiders should be enough to warrant further research, so it would seem that it's a good stock to follow. It is worth noting though that we have found 2 warning signs for Ruby Mills that you need to take into consideration.

Although Ruby Mills 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.