If You Like EPS Growth Then Check Out GMO Financial Holdings (TYO:7177) Before It's Too Late

Like a puppy chasing its tail, some new investors often chase 'the next big thing', even if that means buying 'story stocks' without revenue, let alone profit. And in their study titled Who Falls Prey to the Wolf of Wall Street?' Leuz et. al. found that it is 'quite common' for investors to lose money by buying into 'pump and dump' schemes.

In contrast to all that, I prefer to spend time on companies like GMO Financial Holdings (TYO:7177), which has not only revenues, but also profits. Even if the shares are fully valued today, most capitalists would recognize its profits as the demonstration of steady value generation. Loss-making companies are always racing against time to reach financial sustainability, but time is often a friend of the profitable company, especially if it is growing.

See our latest analysis for GMO Financial Holdings

How Quickly Is GMO Financial Holdings Increasing Earnings Per Share?

The market is a voting machine in the short term, but a weighing machine in the long term, so share price follows earnings per share (EPS) eventually. That makes EPS growth an attractive quality for any company. GMO Financial Holdings managed to grow EPS by 8.0% per year, over three years. That's a good rate of growth, if it can be sustained.

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. I note that GMO Financial Holdings's revenue from operations was lower than its revenue in the last twelve months, so that could distort my analysis of its margins. GMO Financial Holdings maintained stable EBIT margins over the last year, all while growing revenue 6.2% to JP¥34b. That's progress.

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 GMO Financial Holdings's balance sheet strength, before getting too excited.

Are GMO Financial Holdings Insiders Aligned With All Shareholders?

I like company leaders to have some skin in the game, so to speak, because it increases alignment of incentives between the people running the business, and its true owners. As a result, I'm encouraged by the fact that insiders own GMO Financial Holdings shares worth a considerable sum. Indeed, they hold JP¥1.8b worth of its stock. That shows significant buy-in, and may indicate conviction in the business strategy. Even though that's only about 2.1% of the company, it's enough money to indicate alignment between the leaders of the business and ordinary shareholders.

It means a lot to see insiders invested in the business, but I find myself wondering if remuneration policies are shareholder friendly. A brief analysis of the CEO compensation suggests they are. For companies with market capitalizations between JP¥41b and JP¥165b, like GMO Financial Holdings, the median CEO pay is around JP¥144m.

The GMO Financial Holdings CEO received JP¥118m in compensation for the year ending . That seems pretty reasonable, especially given its below the median for similar sized companies. 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 GMO Financial Holdings Worth Keeping An Eye On?

One positive for GMO Financial Holdings is that it is growing EPS. That's nice to see. Earnings growth might be the main game for GMO Financial Holdings, but the fun does not stop there. Boasting both modest CEO pay and considerable insider ownership, I'd argue this one is worthy of the watchlist, at least. Don't forget that there may still be risks. For instance, we've identified 2 warning signs for GMO Financial Holdings (1 is concerning) you should be aware of.

Although GMO Financial Holdings certainly looks good to me, I would like it more if insiders were buying up shares. If you like to see insider buying, too, 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. 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.
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