We Ran A Stock Scan For Earnings Growth And Harmonic (NASDAQ:HLIT) Passed With Ease

The excitement of investing in a company that can reverse its fortunes is a big draw for some speculators, so even companies that have no revenue, no profit, and a record of falling short, can manage to find investors. But as Peter Lynch said in One Up On Wall Street, 'Long shots almost never pay off.' 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 Harmonic (NASDAQ:HLIT). Even if this company is fairly valued by the market, investors would agree that generating consistent profits will continue to provide Harmonic with the means to add long-term value to shareholders.

Check out our latest analysis for Harmonic

How Fast Is Harmonic Growing Its Earnings Per Share?

In the last three years Harmonic's 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. As a result, we'll zoom in on growth over the last year, instead. Impressively, Harmonic's EPS catapulted from US$0.32 to US$0.61, over the last year. Year on year growth of 87% is certainly a sight to behold.

Top-line growth is a great indicator that growth is sustainable, and combined with a high earnings before interest and taxation (EBIT) margin, it's a great way for a company to maintain a competitive advantage in the market. Unfortunately, revenue is down and so are margins. Shareholders will be hoping for a change in fortunes if they're looking for profit growth.

You can take a look at the company's revenue and earnings growth trend, in the chart below. For finer detail, click on the image.

Of course the knack is to find stocks that have their best days in the future, not in the past. You could base your opinion on past performance, of course, but you may also want to check this interactive graph of professional analyst EPS forecasts for Harmonic.

Are Harmonic Insiders Aligned With All Shareholders?

It's a necessity that company leaders act in the best interest of shareholders and so insider investment always comes as a reassurance to the market. So it is good to see that Harmonic insiders have a significant amount of capital invested in the stock. Indeed, they hold US$32m worth of its stock. That's a lot of money, and no small incentive to work hard. While their ownership only accounts for 2.4%, this is still a considerable amount at stake to encourage the business to maintain a strategy that will deliver value to shareholders.

While it's always good to see some strong conviction in the company from insiders through heavy investment, it's also important for shareholders to ask if management compensation policies are 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 Harmonic with market caps between US$1.0b and US$3.2b is about US$5.7m.

The Harmonic CEO received total compensation of just US$1.9m in the year to December 2023. First impressions seem to indicate a compensation policy that is favourable to shareholders. While the level of CEO compensation shouldn't be the biggest factor in how the company is viewed, modest remuneration is a positive, because it suggests that the board keeps shareholder interests in mind. It can also be a sign of good governance, more generally.

Does Harmonic Deserve A Spot On Your Watchlist?

Harmonic's earnings per share have been soaring, with growth rates sky high. An added bonus for those interested is that management hold a heap of stock and the CEO pay is quite reasonable, illustrating good cash management. The strong EPS improvement suggests the businesses is humming along. Harmonic certainly ticks a few boxes, so we think it's probably well worth further consideration. It's still necessary to consider the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 3 warning signs with Harmonic , and understanding these should be part of your investment process.

While opting for stocks without growing earnings and absent insider buying can yield results, for investors valuing these key metrics, here is a carefully selected list of companies in the US with promising growth potential and insider confidence.

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.

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