Yahoo Finance Here's Why We Think Maui Land & Pineapple Company (NYSE:MLP) Might Deserve Your Attention Today
Investors are often guided by the idea of discovering 'the next big thing', even if that means buying 'story stocks' without any revenue, let alone profit. But as Peter Lynch said in One Up On Wall Street, 'Long shots almost never pay off.' While a well funded company may sustain losses for years, it will need to generate a profit eventually, or else investors will move on and the company will wither away.
So if this idea of high risk and high reward doesn't suit, you might be more interested in profitable, growing companies, like Maui Land & Pineapple Company (NYSE:MLP). 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.
See our latest analysis for Maui Land & Pineapple Company
How Quickly Is Maui Land & Pineapple Company Increasing Earnings Per Share?
The market is a voting machine in the short term, but a weighing machine in the long term, so you'd expect share price to follow earnings per share (EPS) outcomes eventually. That means EPS growth is considered a real positive by most successful long-term investors. Recognition must be given to the that Maui Land & Pineapple Company has grown EPS by 39% per year, over the last three years. That sort of growth rarely ever lasts long, but it is well worth paying attention to when it happens.
Top-line growth is a great indicator that growth is sustainable, and combined with a high earnings before interest and taxation (EBIT) margin, it's a great way for a company to maintain a competitive advantage in the market. The good news is that Maui Land & Pineapple Company is growing revenues, and EBIT margins improved by 21.8 percentage points to 26%, over the last year. Ticking those two boxes is a good sign of growth, in our book.
You can take a look at the company's revenue and earnings growth trend, in the chart below. To see the actual numbers, click on the chart.
Maui Land & Pineapple Company isn't a huge company, given its market capitalisation of US$180m. That makes it extra important to check on its balance sheet strength.
Are Maui Land & Pineapple Company Insiders Aligned With All Shareholders?
Seeing insiders owning a large portion of the shares on issue is often a good sign. Their incentives will be aligned with the investors and there's less of a probability in a sudden sell-off that would impact the share price. So as you can imagine, the fact that Maui Land & Pineapple Company insiders own a significant number of shares certainly is appealing. To be exact, company insiders hold 65% of the company, so their decisions have a significant impact on their investments. This makes it apparent they will be incentivised to plan for the long term - a positive for shareholders with a sit and hold strategy. To give you an idea, the value of insiders' holdings in the business are valued at US$117m at the current share price. So there's plenty there to keep them focused!
It's good to see that insiders are invested in the company, but are remuneration levels reasonable? Our quick analysis into CEO remuneration would seem to indicate they are. Our analysis has discovered that the median total compensation for the CEOs of companies like Maui Land & Pineapple Company with market caps between US$100m and US$400m is about US$1.7m.
Maui Land & Pineapple Company offered total compensation worth US$1.1m to its CEO in the year to December 2021. That comes in below the average for similar sized companies and seems pretty reasonable. While the level of CEO compensation shouldn't be the biggest factor in how the company is viewed, modest remuneration is a positive, because it suggests that the board keeps shareholder interests in mind. Generally, arguments can be made that reasonable pay levels attest to good decision-making.
Is Maui Land & Pineapple Company Worth Keeping An Eye On?
Maui Land & Pineapple Company's earnings per share growth have been climbing higher at an appreciable rate. An added bonus for those interested is that management hold a heap of stock and the CEO pay is quite reasonable, illustrating good cash management. The strong EPS improvement suggests the businesses is humming along. Maui Land & Pineapple Company certainly ticks a few boxes, so we think it's probably well worth further consideration. Don't forget that there may still be risks. For instance, we've identified 1 warning sign for Maui Land & Pineapple Company that you should be aware of.
Although Maui Land & Pineapple Company certainly looks good, it may appeal to more investors if insiders were buying up shares. If you like to see insider buying, then this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying, could be exactly what you're looking for.
Please note the insider transactions discussed in this article refer to reportable transactions in the relevant jurisdiction.
Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.
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.
Join A Paid User Research Session
You’ll receive a US$30 Amazon Gift card for 1 hour of your time while helping us build better investing tools for the individual investors like yourself. Sign up here
