Do Surmodics's (NASDAQ:SRDX) Earnings Warrant Your Attention?
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.
So if you're like me, you might be more interested in profitable, growing companies, like Surmodics (NASDAQ:SRDX). While profit is not necessarily a social good, it's easy to admire a business that 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 Surmodics
How Fast Is Surmodics Growing Its Earnings Per Share?
In the last three years Surmodics's earnings per share took off like a rocket; fast, and from a low base. So the actual rate of growth doesn't tell us much. Thus, it makes sense to focus on more recent growth rates, instead. Over twelve months, Surmodics increased its EPS from US$0.49 to US$0.54. That amounts to a small improvement of 8.7%.
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. The good news is that Surmodics is growing revenues, and EBIT margins improved by 2.4 percentage points to 8.2%, over the last year. That's great to see, on both counts.
The chart below shows how the company's bottom and top lines have progressed over time. To see the actual numbers, click on the chart.
Fortunately, we've got access to analyst forecasts of Surmodics's future profits. You can do your own forecasts without looking, or you can take a peek at what the professionals are predicting.
Are Surmodics Insiders Aligned With All Shareholders?
I like company leaders to have some skin in the game, so to speak, because it increases alignment of incentives between the people running the business, and its true owners. As a result, I'm encouraged by the fact that insiders own Surmodics shares worth a considerable sum. Indeed, they hold US$25m worth of its stock. That's a lot of money, and no small incentive to work hard. Even though that's only about 3.3% of the company, it's enough money to indicate alignment between the leaders of the business and ordinary shareholders.
Is Surmodics Worth Keeping An Eye On?
One positive for Surmodics is that it is growing EPS. That's nice to see. Just as polish makes silverware pop, the high level of insider ownership enhances my enthusiasm for this growth. The combination sparks joy for me, so I'd consider keeping the company on a watchlist. Before you take the next step you should know about the 1 warning sign for Surmodics that we have uncovered.
You can invest in 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.
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. 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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