Here's Why I Think Mercury General (NYSE:MCY) Is An Interesting Stock

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 Peter Lynch said in One Up On Wall Street, 'Long shots almost never pay off.'

So if you're like me, you might be more interested in profitable, growing companies, like Mercury General (NYSE:MCY). Even if the shares are fully valued today, most capitalists would recognize its profits as the demonstration of steady value generation. In comparison, loss making companies act like a sponge for capital - but unlike such a sponge they do not always produce something when squeezed.

See our latest analysis for Mercury General

How Fast Is Mercury General 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 makes EPS growth an attractive quality for any company. Who among us would not applaud Mercury General's stratospheric annual EPS growth of 37%, 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.

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. Not all of Mercury General's revenue last year was 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. Mercury General's EBIT margins have actually improved by 2.6 percentage points in the last year, to reach 13%, but, on the flip side, revenue was down 4.7%. That's not ideal.

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.

While it's always good to see growing profits, you should always remember that a weak balance sheet could come back to bite. So check Mercury General's balance sheet strength, before getting too excited.

Are Mercury General 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. However, small purchases are not always indicative of conviction, and insiders don't always get it right.

Although we did see some insider selling (worth -US$2.9m) this was overshadowed by a mountain of buying, totalling US$27m in just one year. This makes me even more interested in Mercury General because it suggests that those who understand the company best, are optimistic. It is also worth noting that it was Executive Chairman of the Board George Joseph who made the biggest single purchase, worth US$6.0m, paying US$37.80 per share.

On top of the insider buying, we can also see that Mercury General insiders own a large chunk of the company. Indeed, with a collective holding of 52%, company insiders are in control and have plenty of capital behind the venture. To me this is a good sign because it suggests they will be incentivised to build value for shareholders over the long term. And their holding is extremely valuable at the current share price, totalling US$1.8b. Now that's what I call some serious skin in the game!

While insiders already own a significant amount of shares, and they have been buying more, the good news for ordinary shareholders does not stop there. That's because on our analysis the CEO, Gabe Tirador, is paid less than the median for similar sized companies. For companies with market capitalizations between US$2.0b and US$6.4b, like Mercury General, the median CEO pay is around US$5.1m.

The Mercury General CEO received total compensation of just US$1.7m in the year to . That looks like modest pay to me, and may hint at a certain respect for the interests of shareholders. CEO compensation is hardly the most important aspect of a company to consider, but when its reasonable that does give me a little more confidence that leadership are looking out for shareholder interests. I'd also argue reasonable pay levels attest to good decision making more generally.

Is Mercury General Worth Keeping An Eye On?

Mercury General's earnings per share have taken off like a rocket aimed right at the moon. Just as heartening; insiders both own and are buying more stock. This quick rundown suggests that the business may be of good quality, and also at an inflection point, so maybe Mercury General deserves timely attention. You should always think about risks though. Case in point, we've spotted 2 warning signs for Mercury General you should be aware of, and 1 of them makes us a bit uncomfortable.

There are plenty of other companies that have insiders buying up shares. So if you like the sound of Mercury General, you'll probably love this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying.

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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