Stock Analysis

NTPC (NSE:NTPC) Ticks All The Boxes When It Comes To Earnings Growth

NSEI:NTPC
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It's common for many investors, especially those who are inexperienced, to buy shares in companies with a good story even if these companies are loss-making. 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 NTPC (NSE:NTPC), 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.

Check out our latest analysis for NTPC

How Fast Is NTPC Growing?

Generally, companies experiencing growth in earnings per share (EPS) should see similar trends in share price. That means EPS growth is considered a real positive by most successful long-term investors. We can see that in the last three years NTPC grew its EPS by 7.2% per year. This may not be setting the world alight, but it does show that EPS is on the upwards trend.

Top-line growth is a great indicator that growth is sustainable, and combined with a high earnings before interest and taxation (EBIT) margin, it's a great way for a company to maintain a competitive advantage in the market. EBIT margins for NTPC remained fairly unchanged over the last year, however the company should be pleased to report its revenue growth for the period of 34% to ₹1.7t. That's progress.

In the chart below, you can see how the company has grown earnings and revenue, over time. To see the actual numbers, click on the chart.

earnings-and-revenue-history
NSEI:NTPC Earnings and Revenue History February 27th 2023

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 NTPC's future EPS 100% free.

Are NTPC 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. For companies with market capitalisations over ₹663b, like NTPC, the median CEO pay is around ₹113m.

NTPC's CEO took home a total compensation package of ₹14m in the year prior to March 2022. First impressions seem to indicate a compensation policy that is favourable to shareholders. 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.

Is NTPC Worth Keeping An Eye On?

As previously touched on, NTPC is a growing business, which is encouraging. To add to this, the modest CEO compensation should tell investors that the directors have an active interest in delivering the best for shareholders. So all in all NTPC is worthy at least considering for your watchlist. What about risks? Every company has them, and we've spotted 2 warning signs for NTPC (of which 1 is significant!) 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.

Valuation is complex, but we're here to simplify it.

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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.