Does Ratnamani Metals & Tubes (NSE:RATNAMANI) Deserve A Spot On Your Watchlist?

The excitement of investing in a company that can reverse its fortunes is a big draw for some speculators, so even companies that have no revenue, no profit, and a record of falling short, can manage to find investors. But as Peter Lynch said in One Up On Wall Street, 'Long shots almost never pay off.' 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.

In contrast to all that, many investors prefer to focus on companies like Ratnamani Metals & Tubes (NSE:RATNAMANI), 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.

View our latest analysis for Ratnamani Metals & Tubes

Ratnamani Metals & Tubes' 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. Ratnamani Metals & Tubes managed to grow EPS by 8.4% per year, over three years. That growth rate is fairly good, assuming the company can keep it up.

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. While we note Ratnamani Metals & Tubes achieved similar EBIT margins to last year, revenue grew by a solid 37% to ₹31b. That's encouraging news for the company!

In the chart below, you can see how the company has grown earnings and revenue, over time. For finer detail, click on the image.

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 Ratnamani Metals & Tubes' balance sheet strength, before getting too excited.

Are Ratnamani Metals & Tubes 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 Ratnamani Metals & Tubes 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 65% 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. At the current share price, that insider holding is worth a staggering ₹77b. That level of investment from insiders is nothing to sneeze at.

Should You Add Ratnamani Metals & Tubes To Your Watchlist?

As previously touched on, Ratnamani Metals & Tubes is a growing business, which is encouraging. If that's not enough on its own, there is also the rather notable levels of insider ownership. That combination is very appealing. So yes, we do think the stock is worth keeping an eye on. What about risks? Every company has them, and we've spotted 2 warning signs for Ratnamani Metals & Tubes (of which 1 is a bit unpleasant!) you should know about.

The beauty of investing is that you can invest in almost any company you want. But if you prefer to focus on stocks that have demonstrated insider buying, here is a list of companies with insider buying in the last three months.

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.