Do Sejin Heavy Industries' (KRX:075580) Earnings Warrant Your Attention?

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.

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 Sejin Heavy Industries (KRX:075580). Now this is not to say that the company presents the best investment opportunity around, but profitability is a key component to success in business.

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How Fast Is Sejin Heavy Industries 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. That means EPS growth is considered a real positive by most successful long-term investors. To the delight of shareholders, Sejin Heavy Industries has achieved impressive annual EPS growth of 53%, compound, over the last three years. That sort of growth rarely ever lasts long, but it is well worth paying attention to when it happens.

It's often helpful to take a look at earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) margins, as well as revenue growth, to get another take on the quality of the company's growth. Sejin Heavy Industries shareholders can take confidence from the fact that EBIT margins are up from 8.6% to 13%, and revenue is growing. That's great to see, on both counts.

The chart below shows how the company's bottom and top lines have progressed over time. Click on the chart to see the exact numbers.

See our latest analysis for Sejin Heavy Industries

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 Sejin Heavy Industries' future EPS 100% free.

Are Sejin Heavy Industries 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 as you can imagine, the fact that Sejin Heavy Industries insiders own a significant number of shares certainly is appealing. To be exact, company insiders hold 56% of the company, so their decisions have a significant impact on their investments. This makes it apparent they will be incentivised to plan for the long term - a positive for shareholders with a sit and hold strategy. That means they have plenty of their own capital riding on the performance of the business!

Should You Add Sejin Heavy Industries To Your Watchlist?

Sejin Heavy Industries' earnings have taken off in quite an impressive fashion. That sort of growth is nothing short of eye-catching, and the large investment held by insiders should certainly brighten the view of the company. At times fast EPS growth is a sign the business has reached an inflection point, so there's a potential opportunity to be had here. So at the surface level, Sejin Heavy Industries is worth putting on your watchlist; after all, shareholders do well when the market underestimates fast growing companies. Even so, be aware that Sejin Heavy Industries is showing 2 warning signs in our investment analysis , you should know about...

While opting for stocks without growing earnings and absent insider buying can yield results, for investors valuing these key metrics, here is a carefully selected list of companies in KR with promising growth potential and insider confidence.

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.