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Some have more dollars than sense, they say, so even companies that have no revenue, no profit, and a record of falling short, can easily find investors. But as Warren Buffett has mused, ‘If you’ve been playing poker for half an hour and you still don’t know who the patsy is, you’re the patsy.’ When they buy such story stocks, investors are all too often the patsy.

So if you’re like me, you might be more interested in profitable, growing companies, like e.l.f. Beauty (NYSE:ELF). Now, I’m not saying that the stock is necessarily undervalued today; but I can’t shake an appreciation for the profitability of the business itself. 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.

Check out our latest analysis for e.l.f. Beauty

e.l.f. Beauty’s Earnings Per Share Are Growing.

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). Therefore, there are plenty of investors who like to buy shares in companies that are growing EPS. We can see that in the last three years e.l.f. Beauty grew its EPS by 5.8% per year. While that sort of growth rate isn’t amazing, it does show the business is growing.

I like to take a look at earnings before interest and (EBIT) tax margins, as well as revenue growth, to get another take on the quality of the company’s growth. The good news is that e.l.f. Beauty is growing revenues, and EBIT margins improved by 3.4 percentage points to 7.5%, 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. For finer detail, click on the image.

earnings-and-revenue-historyearnings-and-revenue-history

earnings-and-revenue-history

You don’t drive with your eyes on the rear-view mirror, so you might be more interested in this free report showing analyst forecasts for e.l.f. Beauty’s future profits.

Are e.l.f. Beauty Insiders Aligned With All Shareholders?

It makes me feel more secure owning shares in a company if insiders also own shares, thusly more closely aligning our interests. So it is good to see that e.l.f. Beauty insiders have a significant amount of capital invested in the stock. Given insiders own a small fortune of shares, currently valued at US$84m, they have plenty of motivation to push the business to succeed. That’s certainly enough to make me think that management will be very focussed on long term growth.

Is e.l.f. Beauty Worth Keeping An Eye On?

One positive for e.l.f. Beauty 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. However, before you get too excited we’ve discovered 2 warning signs for e.l.f. Beauty that you should be aware of.

Although e.l.f. Beauty certainly looks good to me, I would like it more if insiders were buying up shares. If you like to see insider buying, too, 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.

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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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