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.' Loss-making companies are always racing against time to reach financial sustainability, so investors in these companies may be taking on more risk than they should.

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 Jiangsu Pacific Quartz (SHSE:603688). Even if this company is fairly valued by the market, investors would agree that generating consistent profits will continue to provide Jiangsu Pacific Quartz with the means to add long-term value to shareholders.

See our latest analysis for Jiangsu Pacific Quartz

How Fast Is Jiangsu Pacific Quartz 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. Therefore, there are plenty of investors who like to buy shares in companies that are growing EPS. To the delight of shareholders, Jiangsu Pacific Quartz has achieved impressive annual EPS growth of 60%, compound, over the last three years. While that sort of growth rate isn't sustainable for long, it certainly catches the eye of prospective investors.

Careful consideration of revenue growth and earnings before interest and taxation (EBIT) margins can help inform a view on the sustainability of the recent profit growth. The music to the ears of Jiangsu Pacific Quartz shareholders is that EBIT margins have grown from 27% to 49% in the last 12 months and revenues are on an upwards trend as well. Both of which are great metrics to check off for potential growth.

The chart below shows how the company's bottom and top lines have progressed over time. Click on the chart to see the exact numbers.

In investing, as in life, the future matters more than the past. So why not check out this free interactive visualization of Jiangsu Pacific Quartz's forecast profits?

Are Jiangsu Pacific Quartz Insiders Aligned With All Shareholders?

Owing to the size of Jiangsu Pacific Quartz, we wouldn't expect insiders to hold a significant proportion of the company. But we do take comfort from the fact that they are investors in the company. Indeed, they have a considerable amount of wealth invested in it, currently valued at CN¥16b. That equates to 33% of the company, making insiders powerful and aligned with other shareholders. So there is opportunity here to invest in a company whose management have tangible incentives to deliver.

It's good to see that insiders are invested in the company, but are remuneration levels reasonable? Well, based on the CEO pay, you'd argue that they are indeed. For companies with market capitalisations between CN¥27b and CN¥81b, like Jiangsu Pacific Quartz, the median CEO pay is around CN¥1.6m.

The Jiangsu Pacific Quartz CEO received CN¥1.0m in compensation for the year ending December 2021. That seems pretty reasonable, especially given it's below the median for similar sized companies. 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. It can also be a sign of good governance, more generally.

Should You Add Jiangsu Pacific Quartz To Your Watchlist?

Jiangsu Pacific Quartz's earnings have taken off in quite an impressive fashion. An added bonus for those interested is that management hold a heap of stock and the CEO pay is quite reasonable, illustrating good cash management. The drastic earnings growth indicates the business is going from strength to strength. Hopefully a trend that continues well into the future. Jiangsu Pacific Quartz certainly ticks a few boxes, so we think it's probably well worth further consideration. However, before you get too excited we've discovered 2 warning signs for Jiangsu Pacific Quartz (1 is significant!) 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.