Do Summit Materials' (NYSE:SUM) Earnings Warrant Your Attention?

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. While a well funded company may sustain losses for years, it will need to generate a profit eventually, or else investors will move on and the company will wither away.

In contrast to all that, many investors prefer to focus on companies like Summit Materials (NYSE:SUM), which has not only revenues, but also profits. 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.

Our analysis indicates that SUM is potentially undervalued!

How Fast Is Summit Materials Growing Its Earnings Per Share?

In the last three years Summit Materials' earnings per share took off; so much so that it's a bit disingenuous to use these figures to try and deduce long term estimates. Thus, it makes sense to focus on more recent growth rates, instead. In impressive fashion, Summit Materials' EPS grew from US$1.23 to US$2.46, over the previous 12 months. It's a rarity to see 99% year-on-year growth like that.

It's often helpful to take a look at earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) margins, as well as revenue growth, to get another take on the quality of the company's growth. It was a year of stability for Summit Materials as both revenue and EBIT margins remained have been flat over the past year. While this doesn't ring alarm bells, it may not meet the expectations of growth-minded investors.

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.

The trick, as an investor, is to find companies that are going to perform well in the future, not just in the past. While crystal balls don't exist, you can check our visualization of consensus analyst forecasts for Summit Materials' future EPS 100% free.

Are Summit Materials 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. Summit Materials followers will find comfort in knowing that insiders have a significant amount of capital that aligns their best interests with the wider shareholder group. To be specific, they have US$15m worth of shares. That shows significant buy-in, and may indicate conviction in the business strategy. While their ownership only accounts for 0.4%, this is still a considerable amount at stake to encourage the business to maintain a strategy that will deliver value to shareholders.

Should You Add Summit Materials To Your Watchlist?

Summit Materials' earnings per share have been soaring, with growth rates sky high. This level of EPS growth does wonders for attracting investment, and the large insider investment in the company is just the cherry on top. At times fast EPS growth is a sign the business has reached an inflection point, so there's a potential opportunity to be had here. So based on this quick analysis, we do think it's worth considering Summit Materials for a spot on your watchlist. Don't forget that there may still be risks. For instance, we've identified 3 warning signs for Summit Materials (2 shouldn't be ignored) you should be aware of.

The beauty of investing is that you can invest in almost 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.

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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.