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With EPS Growth And More, QCR Holdings (NASDAQ:QCRH) Is Interesting

Like a puppy chasing its tail, some new investors often chase 'the next big thing', even if that means buying 'story stocks' without revenue, let alone profit. Unfortunately, high risk investments often have little probability of ever paying off, and many investors pay a price to learn their lesson.

In the age of tech-stock blue-sky investing, my choice may seem old fashioned; I still prefer profitable companies like QCR Holdings (NASDAQ:QCRH). While that doesn't make the shares worth buying at any price, you can't deny that successful capitalism requires profit, eventually. Conversely, a loss-making company is yet to prove itself with profit, and eventually the sweet milk of external capital may run sour.

See our latest analysis for QCR Holdings

QCR Holdings's Earnings Per Share Are Growing.

The market is a voting machine in the short term, but a weighing machine in the long term, so share price follows earnings per share (EPS) eventually. That means EPS growth is considered a real positive by most successful long-term investors. We can see that in the last three years QCR Holdings grew its EPS by 12% 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. I note that QCR Holdings's revenue from operations was lower than its revenue in the last twelve months, so that could distort my analysis of its margins. QCR Holdings maintained stable EBIT margins over the last year, all while growing revenue 30% to US$194m. That's progress.

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.

NasdaqGM:QCRH Income Statement, August 29th 2019
NasdaqGM:QCRH Income Statement, August 29th 2019

In investing, as in life, the future matters more than the past. So why not check out this free interactive visualization of QCR Holdings's forecast profits?

Are QCR Holdings Insiders Aligned With All Shareholders?

Like that fresh smell in the air when the rains are coming, insider buying fills me with optimistic anticipation. That's because insider buying often indicates that those closest to the company have confidence that the share price will perform well. However, insiders are sometimes wrong, and we don't know the exact thinking behind their acquisitions.

While QCR Holdings insiders did net -US$113.2k selling stock over the last year, they invested US$771k, a much higher figure. You could argue that level of buying implies genuine confidence in the business. Zooming in, we can see that the biggest insider purchase was by Michael Peterson for US$670k worth of shares, at about US$33.51 per share.

The good news, alongside the insider buying, for QCR Holdings bulls is that insiders (collectively) have a meaningful investment in the stock. Indeed, they hold US$35m worth of its stock. That's a lot of money, and no small incentive to work hard. Those holdings account for over 6.3% of the company; visible skin in the game.

While insiders are apparently happy to hold and accumulate shares, that is just part of the pretty picture. The cherry on top is that the CEO, Larry Helling is paid comparatively modestly to CEOs at similar sized companies. I discovered that the median total compensation for the CEOs of companies like QCR Holdings with market caps between US$200m and US$800m is about US$1.9m.

The QCR Holdings CEO received total compensation of just US$665k in the year to December 2018. That looks like modest pay to me, and may hint at a certain respect for the interests of shareholders. CEO compensation is hardly the most important aspect of a company to consider, but when its reasonable that does give me 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 QCR Holdings To Your Watchlist?

One important encouraging feature of QCR Holdings is that it is growing profits. 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. Now, you could try to make up your mind on QCR Holdings by focusing on just these factors, or you could also consider how its price-to-earnings ratio compares to other companies in its industry.

There are plenty of other companies that have insiders buying up shares. So if you like the sound of QCR Holdings, you'll probably love this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying.

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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