If EPS Growth Is Important To You, STAAR Surgical (NASDAQ:STAA) 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. 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. A loss-making company is yet to prove itself with profit, and eventually the inflow of external capital may dry up.
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 STAAR Surgical (NASDAQ:STAA). While this doesn't necessarily speak to whether it's undervalued, the profitability of the business is enough to warrant some appreciation - especially if its growing.
See our latest analysis for STAAR Surgical
How Fast Is STAAR Surgical Growing Its Earnings Per Share?
Over the last three years, STAAR Surgical has grown earnings per share (EPS) at as impressive rate from a relatively low point, resulting in a three year percentage growth rate that isn't particularly indicative of expected future performance. Thus, it makes sense to focus on more recent growth rates, instead. In impressive fashion, STAAR Surgical's EPS grew from US$0.24 to US$0.61, over the previous 12 months. It's not often a company can achieve year-on-year growth of 155%. Shareholders will be hopeful that this is a sign of the company reaching an inflection point.
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. STAAR Surgical shareholders can take confidence from the fact that EBIT margins are up from 8.5% to 16%, and revenue is growing. That's great to see, on both counts.
The chart below shows how the company's bottom and top lines have progressed over time. Click on the chart to see the exact numbers.
You don't drive with your eyes on the rear-view mirror, so you might be more interested in this free report showing analyst forecasts for STAAR Surgical's future profits.
Are STAAR Surgical 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. So it is good to see that STAAR Surgical insiders have a significant amount of capital invested in the stock. To be specific, they have US$35m worth of shares. That shows significant buy-in, and may indicate conviction in the business strategy. While their ownership only accounts for 0.9%, this is still a considerable amount at stake to encourage the business to maintain a strategy that will deliver value to 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 STAAR Surgical with market caps between US$2.0b and US$6.4b is about US$6.6m.
STAAR Surgical's CEO took home a total compensation package worth US$5.5m in the year leading up to December 2021. That comes in below the average for similar sized companies and seems pretty reasonable. 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 a culture of integrity, in a broader sense.
Should You Add STAAR Surgical To Your Watchlist?
STAAR Surgical's earnings per share growth have been climbing higher at an appreciable rate. An added bonus for those interested is that management hold a heap of stock and the CEO pay is quite reasonable, illustrating good cash management. The drastic earnings growth indicates the business is going from strength to strength. Hopefully a trend that continues well into the future. STAAR Surgical is certainly doing some things right and is well worth investigating. If you think STAAR Surgical might suit your style as an investor, you could go straight to its annual report, or you could first check our discounted cash flow (DCF) valuation for the company.
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.
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