Yahoo Finance Do Hornby's (LON:HRN) Earnings Warrant Your Attention?
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. Sometimes these stories can cloud the minds of investors, leading them to invest with their emotions rather than on the merit of good company fundamentals. 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.
If this kind of company isn't your style, you like companies that generate revenue, and even earn profits, then you may well be interested in Hornby (LON:HRN). 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 Hornby
Hornby's Improving Profits
In the last three years Hornby's earnings per share took off; so much so that it's a bit disingenuous to use these figures to try and deduce long term estimates. So it would be better to isolate the growth rate over the last year for our analysis. Over the last year, Hornby increased its EPS from UK£0.0082 to UK£0.0087. That's a modest gain of 6.6%.
It's often helpful to take a look at earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) margins, as well as revenue growth, to get another take on the quality of the company's growth. EBIT margins for Hornby remained fairly unchanged over the last year, however the company should be pleased to report its revenue growth for the period of 11% to UK£54m. That's encouraging news for the company!
In the chart below, you can see how the company has grown earnings and revenue, over time. To see the actual numbers, click on the chart.
Hornby isn't a huge company, given its market capitalisation of UK£46m. That makes it extra important to check on its balance sheet strength.
Are Hornby Insiders Aligned With All Shareholders?
As a general rule, it's worth considering how much the CEO is paid, since unreasonably high rates could be considered against the interests of shareholders. The median total compensation for CEOs of companies similar in size to Hornby, with market caps under UK£165m is around UK£279k.
Hornby's CEO took home a total compensation package worth UK£241k in the year leading up to March 2022. That seems pretty reasonable, especially given it's below the median for similar sized companies. 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. It can also be a sign of good governance, more generally.
Should You Add Hornby To Your Watchlist?
One positive for Hornby is that it is growing EPS. That's nice to see. Not only that, but the CEO is paid quite reasonably, which should prompt investors to feel more trusting of the board of directors. So all in all Hornby is worthy at least considering for your watchlist. Before you take the next step you should know about the 1 warning sign for Hornby that we have uncovered.
The beauty of investing is that you can invest in almost 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.
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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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