Does DB Financial Investment (KRX:016610) Deserve A Spot On Your Watchlist?

For beginners, it can seem like a good idea (and an exciting prospect) to buy a company that tells a good story to investors, even if it completely lacks a track record of revenue and profit. But the reality is that when a company loses money each year, for long enough, its investors will usually take their share of those losses.

So if you're like me, you might be more interested in profitable, growing companies, like DB Financial Investment (KRX:016610). Even if the shares are fully valued today, most capitalists would recognize its profits as the demonstration of steady value generation. Conversely, a loss-making company is yet to prove itself with profit, and eventually the sweet milk of external capital may run sour.

View our latest analysis for DB Financial Investment

How Fast Is DB Financial Investment Growing?

If a company can keep growing earnings per share (EPS) long enough, its share price will eventually follow. It's no surprise, then, that I like to invest in companies with EPS growth. Who among us would not applaud DB Financial Investment's stratospheric annual EPS growth of 40%, compound, over the last three years? While that sort of growth rate isn't sustainable for long, it certainly catches my attention; like a crow with a sparkly stone.

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. Not all of DB Financial Investment's revenue this year is revenue from operations, so keep in mind the revenue and margin numbers I've used might not be the best representation of the underlying business. While we note DB Financial Investment's EBIT margins were flat over the last year, revenue grew by a solid 80% to ₩1.4t. That's a real positive.

You can take a look at the company's revenue and earnings growth trend, in the chart below. For finer detail, click on the image.

DB Financial Investment isn't a huge company, given its market capitalization of ₩241b. That makes it extra important to check on its balance sheet strength.

Are DB Financial Investment Insiders Aligned With All Shareholders?

It makes me feel more secure owning shares in a company if insiders also own shares, thusly more closely aligning our interests. So it is good to see that DB Financial Investment insiders have a significant amount of capital invested in the stock. To be specific, they have ₩31b worth of shares. That shows significant buy-in, and may indicate conviction in the business strategy. That amounts to 13% of the company, demonstrating a degree of high-level alignment with shareholders.

Should You Add DB Financial Investment To Your Watchlist?

DB Financial Investment's earnings per share have taken off like a rocket aimed right at the moon. That sort of growth is nothing short of eye-catching, and the large investment held by insiders certainly brightens my view of the company. The hope is, of course, that the strong growth marks a fundamental improvement in the business economics. So to my mind DB Financial Investment is worth putting on your watchlist; after all, shareholders do well when the market underestimates fast growing companies. You should always think about risks though. Case in point, we've spotted 2 warning signs for DB Financial Investment you should be aware of, and 1 of them is a bit unpleasant.

You can invest in 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. 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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