Should You Be Adding Livestock Improvement (NZSE:LIC) To Your Watchlist Today?

It's only natural that many investors, especially those who are new to the game, prefer to buy shares in 'sexy' stocks with a good story, even if those businesses lose money. Unfortunately, high risk investments often have little probability of ever paying off, and many investors pay a price to learn their lesson.

In the age of tech-stock blue-sky investing, my choice may seem old fashioned; I still prefer profitable companies like Livestock Improvement (NZSE:LIC). Now, I'm not saying that the stock is necessarily undervalued today; but I can't shake an appreciation for the profitability of the business itself. 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 Livestock Improvement

How Fast Is Livestock Improvement Growing?

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 means EPS growth is considered a real positive by most successful long-term investors. As a tree reaches steadily for the sky, Livestock Improvement's EPS has grown 33% each year, compound, over three years. As a general rule, we'd say that if a company can keep up that sort of growth, shareholders will be smiling.

I like to take a look at earnings before interest and (EBIT) tax margins, as well as revenue growth, to get another take on the quality of the company's growth. Livestock Improvement maintained stable EBIT margins over the last year, all while growing revenue 3.4% to NZ$249m. That's progress.

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.

Since Livestock Improvement is no giant, with a market capitalization of NZ$199m, so you should definitely check its cash and debt before getting too excited about its prospects.

Are Livestock Improvement Insiders Aligned With All Shareholders?

Like that fresh smell in the air when the rains are coming, insider buying fills me with optimistic anticipation. This view is based on the possibility that stock purchases signal bullishness on behalf of the buyer. Of course, we can never be sure what insiders are thinking, we can only judge their actions.

The good news for Livestock Improvement shareholders is that no insiders reported selling shares in the last year. So it's definitely nice that David Jensen bought NZ$11k worth of shares at an average price of around NZ$0.81.

Should You Add Livestock Improvement To Your Watchlist?

For growth investors like me, Livestock Improvement's raw rate of earnings growth is a beacon in the night. The growth rate whets my appetite for research, and the insider buying only increases my interest in the stock. So on this analysis I believe Livestock Improvement is probably worth spending some time on. You still need to take note of risks, for example - Livestock Improvement has 1 warning sign we think you should be aware of.

As a growth investor I do like to see insider buying. But Livestock Improvement isn't the only one. You can see a a free list of them here.

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.