Investors are often guided by the idea of discovering 'the next big thing', even if that means buying 'story stocks' without any revenue, let alone profit. But as Peter Lynch said in One Up On Wall Street, 'Long shots almost never pay off.' Loss making companies can act like a sponge for capital - so investors should be cautious that they're not throwing good money after bad.
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 Putian Communication Group (HKG:1720). While profit isn't the sole metric that should be considered when investing, it's worth recognising businesses that can consistently produce it.
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. So it makes sense that experienced investors pay close attention to company EPS when undertaking investment research. It certainly is nice to see that Putian Communication Group has managed to grow EPS by 31% per year over three years. If growth like this continues on into the future, then shareholders will have plenty to smile about.
One way to double-check a company's growth is to look at how its revenue, and earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) margins are changing. The music to the ears of Putian Communication Group shareholders is that EBIT margins have grown from 3.9% to 8.9% 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.
View our latest analysis for Putian Communication Group
Putian Communication Group isn't a huge company, given its market capitalisation of HK$314m. That makes it extra important to check on its balance sheet strength.
Many consider high insider ownership to be a strong sign of alignment between the leaders of a company and the ordinary shareholders. So we're pleased to report that Putian Communication Group insiders own a meaningful share of the business. Indeed, with a collective holding of 70%, company insiders are in control and have plenty of capital behind the venture. Intuition will tell you this is a good sign because it suggests they will be incentivised to build value for shareholders over the long term. With that sort of holding, insiders have about CN¥219m riding on the stock, at current prices. That should be more than enough to keep them focussed on creating shareholder value!
It's good to see that insiders are invested in the company, but are remuneration levels reasonable? A brief analysis of the CEO compensation suggests they are. The median total compensation for CEOs of companies similar in size to Putian Communication Group, with market caps under CN¥1.3b is around CN¥1.6m.
The Putian Communication Group CEO received CN¥1.2m in compensation for the year ending December 2025. That is actually below the median for CEO's of similarly 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. Generally, arguments can be made that reasonable pay levels attest to good decision-making.
You can't deny that Putian Communication Group has grown its earnings per share at a very impressive rate. That's attractive. If you still have your doubts, remember too that company insiders have a considerable investment aligning themselves with the shareholders and CEO pay is quite modest compared to similarly sized companiess. Everyone has their own preferences when it comes to investing but it definitely makes Putian Communication Group look rather interesting indeed. Before you take the next step you should know about the 4 warning signs for Putian Communication Group (3 don't sit too well with us!) that we have uncovered.
While opting for stocks without growing earnings and absent insider buying can yield results, for investors valuing these key metrics, here is a carefully selected list of companies in HK with promising growth potential and insider confidence.
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.