Should You Be Adding Park Aerospace (NYSE:PKE) To Your Watchlist Today?
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. But the reality is that when a company loses money each year, for long enough, its investors will usually take their share of those losses. 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 Park Aerospace (NYSE:PKE). While profit isn't the sole metric that should be considered when investing, it's worth recognising businesses that can consistently produce it.
Check out our latest analysis for Park Aerospace
How Quickly Is Park Aerospace 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) outcomes. So it makes sense that experienced investors pay close attention to company EPS when undertaking investment research. Over the last three years, Park Aerospace has grown EPS by 7.4% per year. While that sort of growth rate isn't anything to write home about, it does show the business is growing.
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. While we note Park Aerospace achieved similar EBIT margins to last year, revenue grew by a solid 4.5% to US$55m. That's a real positive.
The chart below shows how the company's bottom and top lines have progressed over time. For finer detail, click on the image.
Park Aerospace isn't a huge company, given its market capitalisation of US$297m. That makes it extra important to check on its balance sheet strength.
Are Park Aerospace 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. Park Aerospace followers will find comfort in knowing that insiders have a significant amount of capital that aligns their best interests with the wider shareholder group. As a matter of fact, their holding is valued at US$19m. That's a lot of money, and no small incentive to work hard. That amounts to 6.3% of the company, demonstrating a degree of high-level alignment with shareholders.
It's good to see that insiders are invested in the company, but are remuneration levels 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 Park Aerospace with market caps between US$100m and US$400m is about US$1.6m.
Park Aerospace's CEO took home a total compensation package of US$302k in the year prior to February 2023. First impressions seem to indicate a compensation policy that is favourable to shareholders. 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. It can also be a sign of good governance, more generally.
Is Park Aerospace Worth Keeping An Eye On?
One positive for Park Aerospace is that it is growing EPS. That's nice to see. Earnings growth might be the main attraction for Park Aerospace, but the fun does not stop there. Boasting both modest CEO pay and considerable insider ownership, you'd argue this one is worthy of the watchlist, at least. It is worth noting though that we have found 2 warning signs for Park Aerospace (1 is a bit concerning!) that you need to take into consideration.
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 free list of them here.
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.
