Should You Be Adding Cross Country Healthcare (NASDAQ:CCRN) To Your Watchlist Today?

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 currently lacks a track record of revenue and profit. Unfortunately, these high risk investments often have little probability of ever paying off, and many investors pay a price to learn their lesson. Loss-making companies are always racing against time to reach financial sustainability, so investors in these companies may be taking on more risk than they should.

So if this idea of high risk and high reward doesn't suit, you might be more interested in profitable, growing companies, like Cross Country Healthcare (NASDAQ:CCRN). 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.

Check out our latest analysis for Cross Country Healthcare

Cross Country Healthcare's Improving Profits

Investors and investment funds chase profits, and that means share prices tend rise with positive earnings per share (EPS) outcomes. So a growing EPS generally brings attention to a company in the eyes of prospective investors. It's an outstanding feat for Cross Country Healthcare to have grown EPS from US$0.94 to US$5.65 in just one year. While it's difficult to sustain growth at that level, it bodes well for the company's outlook for the future. Could this be a sign that the business has reached an inflection point?

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. Cross Country Healthcare shareholders can take confidence from the fact that EBIT margins are up from 4.9% to 11%, and revenue is growing. Both of which are great metrics to check off for potential growth.

You can take a look at the company's revenue and earnings growth trend, in the chart below. Click on the chart to see the exact numbers.

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 Cross Country Healthcare's future profits.

Are Cross Country Healthcare Insiders Aligned With All Shareholders?

It's pleasing to see company leaders with putting their money on the line, so to speak, because it increases alignment of incentives between the people running the business, and its true owners. Shareholders will be pleased by the fact that insiders own Cross Country Healthcare shares worth a considerable sum. With a whopping US$56m worth of shares as a group, insiders have plenty riding on the company's success. This would indicate that the goals of shareholders and management are one and the same.

It's good to see that insiders are invested in the company, but are remuneration levels reasonable? Well, based on the CEO pay, you'd argue that they are indeed. Our analysis has discovered that the median total compensation for the CEOs of companies like Cross Country Healthcare with market caps between US$400m and US$1.6b is about US$4.1m.

The CEO of Cross Country Healthcare only received US$1.3m in total compensation for the year ending December 2021. First impressions seem to indicate a compensation policy that is favourable to shareholders. 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. Generally, arguments can be made that reasonable pay levels attest to good decision-making.

Does Cross Country Healthcare Deserve A Spot On Your Watchlist?

Cross Country Healthcare's earnings per share have been soaring, with growth rates sky high. The cherry on top is that insiders own a bucket-load of shares, and the CEO pay seems really quite reasonable. The strong EPS improvement suggests the businesses is humming along. Cross Country Healthcare certainly ticks a few boxes, so we think it's probably well worth further consideration. Still, you should learn about the 3 warning signs we've spotted with Cross Country Healthcare.

There's always the possibility of doing well buying stocks that are not growing earnings and do not have insiders buying shares. But for those who consider these important metrics, we encourage you to check out companies that do have those features. You can access 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.