It’s only natural that many investors, especially those who are new to the game, prefer to buy shares in ‘sexy’ stocks with a good story, even if those businesses lose money. And in their study titled Who Falls Prey to the Wolf of Wall Street?’ Leuz et. al. found that it is ‘quite common’ for investors to lose money by buying into ‘pump and dump’ schemes.
If, on the other hand, you like companies that have revenue, and even earn profits, then you may well be interested in Accenture (NYSE:ACN). While profit is not necessarily a social good, it’s easy to admire a business that can consistently produce it. In comparison, loss making companies act like a sponge for capital – but unlike such a sponge they do not always produce something when squeezed.
Accenture’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). That makes EPS growth an attractive quality for any company. Over the last three years, Accenture has grown EPS by 14% per year. That’s a pretty good rate, if the company can sustain it.
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. Accenture maintained stable EBIT margins over the last year, all while growing revenue 2.3% to US$46b. That’s a real positive.
In the chart below, you can see how the company has grown earnings, and revenue, over time.
Are Accenture Insiders Aligned With All Shareholders?
Since Accenture has a market capitalization of US$185b, we wouldn’t expect insiders to hold a large percentage of shares. But we are reassured by the fact they have invested in the company. Indeed, they have a glittering mountain of wealth invested in it, currently valued at US$211m. This suggests to me that leadership will be very mindful of shareholders’ interests when making decisions!
Is Accenture Worth Keeping An Eye On?
One important encouraging feature of Accenture is that it is growing profits. Just as polish makes silverware pop, the high level of insider ownership enhances my enthusiasm for this growth. That combination appeals to me, for one. So yes, I do think the stock is worth keeping an eye on. While we’ve looked at the quality of the earnings, we haven’t yet done any work to value the stock. So if you like to buy cheap, you may want to check if Accenture is trading on a high P/E or a low P/E, relative to its industry.