Yahoo Finance Does Orora (ASX:ORA) Deserve A Spot On Your Watchlist?
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 currently lacks a track record of revenue and 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 Orora (ASX:ORA). Even if this company is fairly valued by the market, investors would agree that generating consistent profits will continue to provide Orora with the means to add long-term value to shareholders.
View our latest analysis for Orora
How Quickly Is Orora 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. That makes EPS growth an attractive quality for any company. It certainly is nice to see that Orora has managed to grow EPS by 23% 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 beaming.
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. EBIT margins for Orora remained fairly unchanged over the last year, however the company should be pleased to report its revenue growth for the period of 16% to AU$4.1b. That's progress.
You can take a look at the company's revenue and earnings growth trend, in the chart below. Click on the chart to see the exact numbers.
Of course the knack is to find stocks that have their best days in the future, not in the past. You could base your opinion on past performance, of course, but you may also want to check this interactive graph of professional analyst EPS forecasts for Orora.
Are Orora Insiders Aligned With All Shareholders?
It's said that there's no smoke without fire. For investors, insider buying is often the smoke that indicates which stocks could set the market alight. Because often, the purchase of stock is a sign that the buyer views it as undervalued. However, small purchases are not always indicative of conviction, and insiders don't always get it right.
With strong conviction, Orora insiders have stood united by refusing to sell shares over the last year. But the bigger deal is that the Independent Non-Executive Director, Michael Fraser, paid AU$206k to buy shares at an average price of AU$3.75. Purchases like this clue us in to the to the faith management has in the business' future.
Does Orora Deserve A Spot On Your Watchlist?
You can't deny that Orora has grown its earnings per share at a very impressive rate. That's attractive. Growth in EPS isn't the only striking feature with company insiders adding to their holdings being another noteworthy vote of confidence for the company. To put it succinctly; Orora is a strong candidate for your watchlist. However, before you get too excited we've discovered 2 warning signs for Orora that you should be aware of.
Keen growth investors love to see insider buying. Thankfully, Orora 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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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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