If EPS Growth Is Important To You, Nictus (JSE:NCS) Presents An Opportunity

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. 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 can act like a sponge for capital - so investors should be cautious that they're not throwing good money after bad.

Despite being in the age of tech-stock blue-sky investing, many investors still adopt a more traditional strategy; buying shares in profitable companies like Nictus (JSE:NCS). 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.

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How Fast Is Nictus Growing?

If you believe that markets are even vaguely efficient, then over the long term you'd expect a company's share price to follow its earnings per share (EPS) outcomes. That means EPS growth is considered a real positive by most successful long-term investors. Recognition must be given to the that Nictus has grown EPS by 53% per year, over the last three years. That sort of growth rarely ever lasts long, but it is well worth paying attention to when it happens.

One way to double-check a company's growth is to look at how its revenue, and earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) margins are changing. It's noted that Nictus' revenue from operations was lower than its revenue in the last twelve months, so that could distort our analysis of its margins. The good news is that Nictus is growing revenues, and EBIT margins improved by 5.1 percentage points to -31%, over the last year. Both of which are great metrics to check off for potential growth.

The chart below shows how the company's bottom and top lines have progressed over time. To see the actual numbers, click on the chart.

View our latest analysis for Nictus

Since Nictus is no giant, with a market capitalisation of R81m, you should definitely check its cash and debt before getting too excited about its prospects.

Are Nictus Insiders Aligned With All Shareholders?

It's a good habit to check into a company's remuneration policies to ensure that the CEO and management team aren't putting their own interests before that of the shareholder with excessive salary packages. For companies with market capitalisations under R3.6b, like Nictus, the median CEO pay is around R6.9m.

The CEO of Nictus was paid just R480k in total compensation for the year ending March 2024. This could be considered a token amount, and indicates that the company does not need to use payment to motivate the CEO - that is often a good sign. CEO compensation is hardly the most important aspect of a company to consider, but when it's reasonable, that gives a little more confidence that leadership are looking out for shareholder interests. Generally, arguments can be made that reasonable pay levels attest to good decision-making.

Should You Add Nictus To Your Watchlist?

Nictus' earnings have taken off in quite an impressive fashion. This appreciable increase in earnings could be a sign of an upward trajectory for the company. What's more, the fact that the CEO's compensation is quite reasonable is a sign that the company is conscious of excessive spending. So Nictus looks like it could be a good quality growth stock, at first glance. That's worth watching. We don't want to rain on the parade too much, but we did also find 4 warning signs for Nictus (2 make us uncomfortable!) that you need to be mindful of.

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 ZA 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.