Do Home Bancorp's (NASDAQ:HBCP) Earnings Warrant Your Attention?

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. But as Warren Buffett has mused, 'If you've been playing poker for half an hour and you still don't know who the patsy is, you're the patsy.' When they buy such story stocks, investors are all too often the patsy.

In contrast to all that, I prefer to spend time on companies like Home Bancorp (NASDAQ:HBCP), 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. 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.

View our latest analysis for Home Bancorp

How Quickly Is Home Bancorp Increasing Earnings Per Share?

If a company can keep growing earnings per share (EPS) long enough, its share price will eventually follow. That means EPS growth is considered a real positive by most successful long-term investors. We can see that in the last three years Home Bancorp grew its EPS by 16% per year. That's a good rate of growth, if it can be sustained.

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 Home Bancorp'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. Home Bancorp maintained stable EBIT margins over the last year, all while growing revenue 18% to US$106m. That's progress.

The chart below shows how the company's bottom and top lines have progressed over time. For finer detail, click on the image.

You don't drive with your eyes on the rear-view mirror, so you might be more interested in this free report showing analyst forecasts for Home Bancorp's future profits.

Are Home Bancorp Insiders Aligned With All Shareholders?

Like the kids in the streets standing up for their beliefs, insider share purchases give me reason to believe in a brighter future. Because oftentimes, the purchase of stock is a sign that the buyer views it as undervalued. Of course, we can never be sure what insiders are thinking, we can only judge their actions.

It's worth noting that there was some insider selling of Home Bancorp shares last year, worth -US$39k. But this is outweighed by the Director Ann Trappey who spent US$118k buying shares, at an average price of around around US$29.26.

The good news, alongside the insider buying, for Home Bancorp bulls is that insiders (collectively) have a meaningful investment in the stock. To be specific, they have US$22m worth of shares. That shows significant buy-in, and may indicate conviction in the business strategy. Those holdings account for over 6.6% of the company; visible skin in the game.

While insiders are apparently happy to hold and accumulate shares, that is just part of the pretty picture. That's because on our analysis the CEO, John Bordelon, is paid less than the median for similar sized companies. I discovered that the median total compensation for the CEOs of companies like Home Bancorp with market caps between US$200m and US$800m is about US$1.7m.

Home Bancorp offered total compensation worth US$890k to its CEO in the year to . 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 a culture of integrity, in a broader sense.

Is Home Bancorp Worth Keeping An Eye On?

One positive for Home Bancorp is that it is growing EPS. That's nice to see. Better yet, insiders are significant shareholders, and have been buying more shares. To me, that all makes it well worth a spot on your watchlist, as well as continuing research. You should always think about risks though. Case in point, we've spotted 2 warning signs for Home Bancorp you should be aware of, and 1 of them is potentially serious.

As a growth investor I do like to see insider buying. But Home Bancorp 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.

If you decide to trade Home Bancorp, use the lowest-cost* platform that is rated #1 Overall by Barron’s, Interactive Brokers. Trade stocks, options, futures, forex, bonds and funds on 135 markets, all from a single integrated account. Promoted

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.
^*Interactive Brokers Rated Lowest Cost Broker by StockBrokers.com Annual Online Review 2020

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.