Should You Be Adding Allied Motion Technologies (NASDAQ:AMOT) To Your Watchlist Today?

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It's only natural that many investors, especially those who are new to the game, prefer to buy shares in 'sexy' stocks with a good story, even if those businesses lose money. Unfortunately, high risk investments often have little probability of ever paying off, and many investors pay a price to learn their lesson.

If, on the other hand, you like companies that have revenue, and even earn profits, then you may well be interested in Allied Motion Technologies (NASDAQ:AMOT). Now, I'm not saying that the stock is necessarily undervalued today; but I can't shake an appreciation for the profitability of the business itself. While a well funded company may sustain losses for years, unless its owners have an endless appetite for subsidizing the customer, it will need to generate a profit eventually, or else breathe its last breath.

See our latest analysis for Allied Motion Technologies

How Quickly Is Allied Motion Technologies Increasing Earnings Per Share?

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). That makes EPS growth an attractive quality for any company. We can see that in the last three years Allied Motion Technologies grew its EPS by 16% per year. That growth rate is fairly good, assuming the company can keep it up.

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. While we note Allied Motion Technologies's EBIT margins were flat over the last year, revenue grew by a solid 23% to US$328m. That's progress.

You can take a look at the company's revenue and earnings growth trend, in the chart below. To see the actual numbers, click on the chart.

NasdaqGM:AMOT Income Statement, June 24th 2019
NasdaqGM:AMOT Income Statement, June 24th 2019

The trick, as an investor, is to find companies that are going to perform well in the future, not just in the past. To that end, right now and today, you can check our visualization of consensus analyst forecasts for future Allied Motion Technologies EPS 100% free.

Are Allied Motion Technologies Insiders Aligned With All Shareholders?

Like that fresh smell in the air when the rains are coming, insider buying fills me with optimistic anticipation. Because oftentimes, the purchase of stock is a sign that the buyer views it as undervalued. However, insiders are sometimes wrong, and we don't know the exact thinking behind their acquisitions.

We do note that Allied Motion Technologies insiders netted -US$3.2k worth of shares over the last year. On the other hand, Director Michael Winter paid US$49k for shares, at a price of about US$35.35 per share. And that's a reason to be optimistic.

Along with the insider buying, another encouraging sign for Allied Motion Technologies is that insiders, as a group, have a considerable shareholding. Given insiders own a small fortune of shares, currently valued at US$65m, they have plenty of motivation to push the business to succeed. At 19% of the company, the co-investment by insiders gives me confidence that management will make long-term focussed decisions.

Should You Add Allied Motion Technologies To Your Watchlist?

One positive for Allied Motion Technologies is that it is growing EPS. That's nice to see. On top of that, we've seen insiders buying shares even though they already own plenty. To me, that all makes it well worth a spot on your watchlist, as well as continuing research. While we've looked at the quality of the earnings, we haven't yet done any work to value the stock. So if you like to buy cheap, you may want to check if Allied Motion Technologies is trading on a high P/E or a low P/E, relative to its industry.

The good news is that Allied Motion Technologies is not the only growth stock with insider buying. Here's a a list of them... 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

We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.

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