Yahoo Finance Is Now The Time To Put Rheinmetall (ETR:RHM) On Your Watchlist?
It's common for many investors, especially those who are inexperienced, to buy shares in companies with a good story even if these companies are loss-making. 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 Rheinmetall (ETR:RHM). Even if this company is fairly valued by the market, investors would agree that generating consistent profits will continue to provide Rheinmetall with the means to add long-term value to shareholders.
Check out our latest analysis for Rheinmetall
Rheinmetall'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) outcomes. 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 Rheinmetall grew its EPS by 11% per year. That's a pretty good rate, if the company can sustain it.
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. Rheinmetall maintained stable EBIT margins over the last year, all while growing revenue 13% to €6.4b. That's progress.
In the chart below, you can see how the company has grown earnings and revenue, over time. For finer detail, click on the image.
While we live in the present moment, there's little doubt that the future matters most in the investment decision process. So why not check this interactive chart depicting future EPS estimates, for Rheinmetall?
Are Rheinmetall Insiders Aligned With All Shareholders?
It's a good habit to check into a company's remuneration policies to ensure that the CEO and management team aren't putting their own interests before that of the shareholder with excessive salary packages. For companies with market capitalisations over €7.4b, like Rheinmetall, the median CEO pay is around €4.6m.
Rheinmetall's CEO took home a total compensation package worth €3.6m in the year leading up to December 2022. That comes in below the average for similar sized companies and seems pretty reasonable. CEO remuneration levels are not the most important metric for investors, but when the pay is modest, that does support enhanced alignment between the CEO and the ordinary shareholders. Generally, arguments can be made that reasonable pay levels attest to good decision-making.
Should You Add Rheinmetall To Your Watchlist?
One positive for Rheinmetall is that it is growing EPS. That's nice to see. To add to this, the modest CEO compensation should tell investors that the directors have an active interest in delivering the best for shareholders. So all in all Rheinmetall is worthy at least considering for your watchlist. However, before you get too excited we've discovered 2 warning signs for Rheinmetall (1 is a bit unpleasant!) that you should be aware of.
There's always the possibility of doing well buying stocks that are not growing earnings and do not have insiders buying shares. But for those who consider these important metrics, we encourage you to check out companies that do have those features. You can access 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.
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