Yahoo Finance Here's Why EOG Resources (NYSE:EOG) Has Caught The Eye Of Investors
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 as Peter Lynch said in One Up On Wall Street, 'Long shots almost never pay off.' 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 EOG Resources (NYSE:EOG). 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.
Check out our latest analysis for EOG Resources
How Fast Is EOG Resources Growing Its Earnings Per Share?
Over the last three years, EOG Resources 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. As a result, we'll zoom in on growth over the last year, instead. In previous twelve months, EOG Resources' EPS has risen from US$12.80 to US$13.52. That amounts to a small improvement of 5.6%.
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. EOG Resources' EBIT margins have actually improved by 8.5 percentage points in the last year, to reach 42%, but, on the flip side, revenue was down 18%. That falls short of ideal.
You can take a look at the company's revenue and earnings growth trend, in the chart below. For finer detail, click on the image.
The trick, as an investor, is to find companies that are going to perform well in the future, not just in the past. While crystal balls don't exist, you can check our visualization of consensus analyst forecasts for EOG Resources' future EPS 100% free.
Are EOG Resources Insiders Aligned With All Shareholders?
Insider interest in a company always sparks a bit of intrigue and many investors are on the lookout for companies where insiders are putting their money where their mouth is. Because often, the purchase of stock is a sign that the buyer views it as undervalued. Of course, we can never be sure what insiders are thinking, we can only judge their actions.
While we did see insider selling of EOG Resources stock in the last year, one single insider spent plenty more buying. Namely, Independent Director Michael Kerr out-laid US$2.6m for shares, at about US$130 per share. That certainly piques our interest.
The good news, alongside the insider buying, for EOG Resources bulls is that insiders (collectively) have a meaningful investment in the stock. Indeed, they have a considerable amount of wealth invested in it, currently valued at US$250m. This comes in at 0.3% of shares in the company, which is a fair amount of a business of this size. This should still be a great incentive for management to maximise shareholder value.
Should You Add EOG Resources To Your Watchlist?
As previously touched on, EOG Resources is a growing business, which is encouraging. In addition, insiders have been busy adding to their sizeable holdings in the company. That should do plenty in prompting budding investors to undertake a bit more research - or even adding the company to their watchlists. We don't want to rain on the parade too much, but we did also find 1 warning sign for EOG Resources that you need to be mindful of.
Keen growth investors love to see insider buying. Thankfully, EOG Resources 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.
