If You Like EPS Growth Then Check Out Bank First (NASDAQ:BFC) Before It's Too Late
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 completely lacks a track record of revenue and 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 Bank First (NASDAQ:BFC). While profit is not necessarily a social good, it's easy to admire a business than can consistently produce it. 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.
View our latest analysis for Bank First
How Quickly Is Bank First Increasing Earnings Per Share?
As one of my mentors once told me, share price follows earnings per share (EPS). Therefore, there are plenty of investors who like to buy shares in companies that are growing EPS. It certainly is nice to see that Bank First has managed to grow EPS by 18% per year over three years. As a general rule, we'd say that if a company can keep up that sort of growth, shareholders will be smiling.
I like to see top-line growth as an indication that growth is sustainable, and I look for a high earnings before interest and taxation (EBIT) margin to point to a competitive moat (though some companies with low margins also have moats). I note that Bank First's revenue from operations was lower than its revenue in the last twelve months, so that could distort my analysis of its margins. Bank First maintained stable EBIT margins over the last year, all while growing revenue 6.0% to US$70m. 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.
Fortunately, we've got access to analyst forecasts of Bank First's future profits. You can do your own forecasts without looking, or you can take a peek at what the professionals are predicting.
Are Bank First Insiders Aligned With All Shareholders?
Like that fresh smell in the air when the rains are coming, insider buying fills me with optimistic anticipation. This view is based on the possibility that stock purchases signal bullishness on behalf of the buyer. However, insiders are sometimes wrong, and we don't know the exact thinking behind their acquisitions.
Insiders both bought and sold Bank First shares in the last year, but the good news is they spent US$32k more buying than they netted selling. So, on balance, the insider transactions are mildly encouraging. It is also worth noting that it was President Michael Molepske who made the biggest single purchase, worth US$179k, paying US$48.23 per share.
Along with the insider buying, another encouraging sign for Bank First is that insiders, as a group, have a considerable shareholding. Given insiders own a small fortune of shares, currently valued at US$51m, they have plenty of motivation to push the business to succeed. That holding amounts to 13% of the stock on issue, thus making insiders influential, and aligned, owners of the business.
While insiders already own a significant amount of shares, and they have been buying more, the good news for ordinary shareholders does not stop there. The cherry on top is that the CEO, Mike Molepske is paid comparatively modestly to CEOs at similar sized companies. For companies with market capitalizations between US$200m and US$800m, like Bank First, the median CEO pay is around US$1.9m.
The Bank First CEO received total compensation of just US$929k in the year to December 2018. That's clearly well below average, so at a glance, that arrangement seems generous to shareholders, and points to a modest remuneration culture. 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. I'd also argue reasonable pay levels attest to good decision making more generally.
Does Bank First Deserve A Spot On Your Watchlist?
Given my belief that share price follows earnings per share you can easily imagine how I feel about Bank First's strong EPS growth. Not only that, but we can see that insiders both own a lot of, and are buying more, shares in the company. So it's fair to say I think this stock may well deserve a spot on your watchlist. If you think Bank First 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.
As a growth investor I do like to see insider buying. But Bank First isn't the only one. You can see a 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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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.
