Is Now The Time To Put Avenue Supermarts (NSE:DMART) 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. Unfortunately, these high risk investments often have little probability of ever paying off, and many investors pay a price to learn their lesson. Loss-making companies are always racing against time to reach financial sustainability, so investors in these companies may be taking on more risk than they should.

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 Avenue Supermarts (NSE:DMART). Even if this company is fairly valued by the market, investors would agree that generating consistent profits will continue to provide Avenue Supermarts with the means to add long-term value to shareholders.

Check out our latest analysis for Avenue Supermarts

Avenue Supermarts' Earnings Per Share Are Growing

If a company can keep growing earnings per share (EPS) long enough, its share price should eventually follow. That means EPS growth is considered a real positive by most successful long-term investors. It certainly is nice to see that Avenue Supermarts has managed to grow EPS by 21% per year over three years. As a result, we can understand why the stock trades on a high multiple of trailing twelve month 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. Avenue Supermarts maintained stable EBIT margins over the last year, all while growing revenue 38% to ₹428b. That's progress.

The chart below shows how the company's bottom and top lines have progressed over time. For finer detail, click on the image.

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 Avenue Supermarts' future EPS 100% free.

Are Avenue Supermarts Insiders Aligned With All Shareholders?

Theory would suggest that it's an encouraging sign to see high insider ownership of a company, since it ties company performance directly to the financial success of its management. So those who are interested in Avenue Supermarts will be delighted to know that insiders have shown their belief, holding a large proportion of the company's shares. To be exact, company insiders hold 64% of the company, so their decisions have a significant impact on their investments. Intuition will tell you this is a good sign because it suggests they will be incentivised to build value for shareholders over the long term. That means they have plenty of their own capital riding on the performance of the business!

While it's always good to see some strong conviction in the company from insiders through heavy investment, it's also important for shareholders to ask if management compensation policies are reasonable. A brief analysis of the CEO compensation suggests they are. Our analysis has discovered that the median total compensation for the CEOs of companies like Avenue Supermarts, with market caps over ₹659b, is about ₹106m.

Avenue Supermarts' CEO took home a total compensation package of ₹46m in the year prior to March 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.

Should You Add Avenue Supermarts To Your Watchlist?

For growth investors, Avenue Supermarts' raw rate of earnings growth is a beacon in the night. If you still have your doubts, remember too that company insiders have a considerable investment aligning themselves with the shareholders and CEO pay is quite modest compared to similarly sized companiess. The overarching message here is that Avenue Supermarts has underlying strengths that make it worth a look at. You should always think about risks though. Case in point, we've spotted 1 warning sign for Avenue Supermarts you should be aware of.

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.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.

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.