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. 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.

If this kind of company isn't your style, you like companies that generate revenue, and even earn profits, then you may well be interested in Oversea-Chinese Banking (SGX:O39). While profit isn't the sole metric that should be considered when investing, it's worth recognising businesses that can consistently produce it.

How Quickly Is Oversea-Chinese Banking Increasing Earnings Per Share?

The market is a voting machine in the short term, but a weighing machine in the long term, so you'd expect share price to follow earnings per share (EPS) outcomes eventually. Therefore, there are plenty of investors who like to buy shares in companies that are growing EPS. Impressively, Oversea-Chinese Banking has grown EPS by 25% per year, compound, in the last three years. As a general rule, we'd say that if a company can keep up that sort of growth, shareholders will be beaming.

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. Not all of Oversea-Chinese Banking'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. While we note Oversea-Chinese Banking achieved similar EBIT margins to last year, revenue grew by a solid 19% to S$13b. That's a real positive.

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.

While we live in the present moment, there's little doubt that the future matters most in the investment decision process. So why not check this interactive chart depicting future EPS estimates, for Oversea-Chinese Banking?

Are Oversea-Chinese Banking Insiders Aligned With All Shareholders?

Owing to the size of Oversea-Chinese Banking, we wouldn't expect insiders to hold a significant proportion of the company. But we are reassured by the fact they have invested in the company. Notably, they have an enviable stake in the company, worth S$201m. While that is a lot of skin in the game, we note this holding only totals to 0.3% of the business, which is a result of the company being so large. This still shows shareholders there is a degree of alignment between management and themselves.

Should You Add Oversea-Chinese Banking To Your Watchlist?

If you believe that share price follows earnings per share you should definitely be delving further into Oversea-Chinese Banking's strong EPS growth. Further, the high level of insider ownership is impressive and suggests that the management appreciates the EPS growth and has faith in Oversea-Chinese Banking's continuing strength. The growth and insider confidence is looked upon well and so it's worthwhile to investigate further with a view to discern the stock's true value. However, before you get too excited we've discovered 1 warning sign for Oversea-Chinese Banking that you should be aware of.

There's always the possibility of doing well buying stocks that are not growing earnings and do not have insiders buying shares. But for those who consider these important metrics, we encourage you to check out companies that do have those features. You can access a tailored list of Singaporean companies which have demonstrated growth backed by recent insider purchases.

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.