Investors are often guided by the idea of discovering 'the next big thing', even if that means buying 'story stocks' without any revenue, let alone profit. Sometimes these stories can cloud the minds of investors, leading them to invest with their emotions rather than on the merit of good company fundamentals. 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.

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 Suzhou Iron TechnologyLTD (SHSE:688329). Even if this company is fairly valued by the market, investors would agree that generating consistent profits will continue to provide Suzhou Iron TechnologyLTD with the means to add long-term value to shareholders.

See our latest analysis for Suzhou Iron TechnologyLTD

How Quickly Is Suzhou Iron TechnologyLTD Increasing Earnings Per Share?

If a company can keep growing earnings per share (EPS) long enough, its share price should eventually follow. So it makes sense that experienced investors pay close attention to company EPS when undertaking investment research. Over the last three years, Suzhou Iron TechnologyLTD has grown EPS by 16% per year. That's a good rate of growth, if it can be sustained.

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. Not all of Suzhou Iron TechnologyLTD's revenue this year is revenue from operations, so keep in mind the revenue and margin numbers used in this article might not be the best representation of the underlying business. Suzhou Iron TechnologyLTD shareholders can take confidence from the fact that EBIT margins are up from 22% to 27%, and revenue is growing. That's great to see, on both counts.

In the chart below, you can see how the company has grown earnings and revenue, over time. Click on the chart to see the exact numbers.

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 Suzhou Iron TechnologyLTD.

Are Suzhou Iron TechnologyLTD Insiders Aligned With All Shareholders?

Seeing insiders owning a large portion of the shares on issue is often a good sign. Their incentives will be aligned with the investors and there's less of a probability in a sudden sell-off that would impact the share price. So as you can imagine, the fact that Suzhou Iron TechnologyLTD insiders own a significant number of shares certainly is appealing. Owning 48% of the company, insiders have plenty riding on the performance of the the share price. Those who are comforted by solid insider ownership like this should be happy, as it implies that those running the business are genuinely motivated to create shareholder value. In terms of absolute value, insiders have CN¥1.4b invested in the business, at the current share price. That's nothing to sneeze at!

Should You Add Suzhou Iron TechnologyLTD To Your Watchlist?

One positive for Suzhou Iron TechnologyLTD is that it is growing EPS. That's nice to see. If that's not enough on its own, there is also the rather notable levels of insider ownership. The combination definitely favoured by investors so consider keeping the company on a watchlist. Don't forget that there may still be risks. For instance, we've identified 2 warning signs for Suzhou Iron TechnologyLTD (1 doesn't sit too well with us) 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.