Should You Be Adding Provide IT Sweden (NGM:PROVIT) 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. 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 the age of tech-stock blue-sky investing, my choice may seem old fashioned; I still prefer profitable companies like Provide IT Sweden (NGM:PROVIT). While profit is not necessarily a social good, it's easy to admire a business that can consistently produce it. While a well funded company may sustain losses for years, unless its owners have an endless appetite for subsidizing the customer, it will need to generate a profit eventually, or else breathe its last breath.

See our latest analysis for Provide IT Sweden

How Fast Is Provide IT Sweden Growing Its Earnings Per Share?

Even with very modest growth rates, a company will usually do well if it improves earnings per share (EPS) year after year. So it's no surprise that some investors are more inclined to invest in profitable businesses. Like the last firework on New Year's Eve accelerating into the sky, Provide IT Sweden's EPS shot from kr0.26 to kr0.58, over the last year. You don't see 125% year-on-year growth like that, very often.

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. Provide IT Sweden shareholders can take confidence from the fact that EBIT margins are up from 9.3% to 18%, and revenue is growing. Ticking those two boxes is a good sign of growth, in my book.

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.

Provide IT Sweden isn't a huge company, given its market capitalization of kr48m. That makes it extra important to check on its balance sheet strength.

Are Provide IT Sweden Insiders Aligned With All Shareholders?

Many consider high insider ownership to be a strong sign of alignment between the leaders of a company and the ordinary shareholders. So as you can imagine, the fact that Provide IT Sweden insiders own a significant number of shares certainly appeals to me. In fact, they own 64% of the company, so they will share in the same delights and challenges experienced by the ordinary shareholders. To me this is a good sign because it suggests they will be incentivised to build value for shareholders over the long term. Of course, Provide IT Sweden is a very small company, with a market cap of only kr48m. So despite a large proportional holding, insiders only have kr31m worth of stock. That might not be a huge sum but it should be enough to keep insiders motivated!

Is Provide IT Sweden Worth Keeping An Eye On?

Provide IT Sweden'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. At times fast EPS growth is a sign the business has reached an inflection point; and I do like those. So to my mind Provide IT Sweden is worth putting on your watchlist; after all, shareholders do well when the market underestimates fast growing companies. Before you take the next step you should know about the 5 warning signs for Provide IT Sweden (2 shouldn't be ignored!) that we have uncovered.

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.

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.

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