Yahoo Finance If EPS Growth Is Important To You, Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG) Presents An Opportunity
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 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.
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 Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG). Even if this company is fairly valued by the market, investors would agree that generating consistent profits will continue to provide Essential Utilities with the means to add long-term value to shareholders.
View our latest analysis for Essential Utilities
Essential Utilities' Earnings Per Share Are Growing
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. It certainly is nice to see that Essential Utilities has managed to grow EPS by 32% 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.
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. On the revenue front, Essential Utilities has done well over the past year, growing revenue by 17% to US$2.1b but EBIT margin figures were less stellar, seeing a decline over the last 12 months. If EBIT margins are able to stay balanced and this revenue growth continues, then we should see brighter days ahead.
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.
Fortunately, we've got access to analyst forecasts of Essential Utilities' future profits. You can do your own forecasts without looking, or you can take a peek at what the professionals are predicting.
Are Essential Utilities Insiders Aligned With All Shareholders?
We would not expect to see insiders owning a large percentage of a US$13b company like Essential Utilities. But thanks to their investment in the company, it's pleasing to see that there are still incentives to align their actions with the shareholders. To be specific, they have US$23m worth of shares. This considerable investment should help drive long-term value in the business. Even though that's only about 0.2% of the company, it's enough money to indicate alignment between the leaders of the business and ordinary shareholders.
While it's always good to see some strong conviction in the company from insiders through heavy investment, it's also important for shareholders to ask if management compensation policies are reasonable. A brief analysis of the CEO compensation suggests they are. The median total compensation for CEOs of companies similar in size to Essential Utilities, with market caps over US$8.0b, is around US$13m.
The CEO of Essential Utilities only received US$5.3m in total compensation for the year ending December 2021. That's clearly well below average, so at a glance that arrangement seems generous to shareholders and points to a modest remuneration culture. 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.
Is Essential Utilities Worth Keeping An Eye On?
You can't deny that Essential Utilities has grown its earnings per share at a very impressive rate. That's attractive. If that's not enough, consider also that the CEO pay is quite reasonable, and insiders are well-invested alongside other shareholders. This may only be a fast rundown, but the key takeaway is that Essential Utilities is worth keeping an eye on. Before you take the next step you should know about the 3 warning signs for Essential Utilities (1 makes us a bit uncomfortable!) that we have uncovered.
Although Essential Utilities 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.
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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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