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. Sometimes these stories can cloud the minds of investors, leading them to invest with their emotions rather than on the merit of good company fundamentals. 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.
If this kind of company isn't your style, you like companies that generate revenue, and even earn profits, then you may well be interested in Globe Life (NYSE:GL). While this doesn't necessarily speak to whether it's undervalued, the profitability of the business is enough to warrant some appreciation - especially if its growing.
Check out our latest analysis for Globe Life
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. That makes EPS growth an attractive quality for any company. Shareholders will be happy to know that Globe Life's EPS has grown 20% each year, compound, over three years. If the company can sustain that sort of growth, we'd expect shareholders to come away satisfied.
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. Globe Life shareholders can take confidence from the fact that EBIT margins are up from 23% to 26%, and revenue is growing. Ticking those two boxes is a good sign of growth, in our book.
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.
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 Globe Life?
It's said that there's no smoke without fire. For investors, insider buying is often the smoke that indicates which stocks could set the market alight. This view is based on the possibility that stock purchases signal bullishness on behalf of the buyer. Of course, we can never be sure what insiders are thinking, we can only judge their actions.
We do note that, in the last year, insiders sold US$519k worth of shares. But that's far less than the US$1.9m insiders spent purchasing stock. We find this encouraging because it suggests they are optimistic about Globe Life'sfuture. Zooming in, we can see that the biggest insider purchase was by Independent Director Mary Thigpen for US$271k worth of shares, at about US$90.20 per share.
The good news, alongside the insider buying, for Globe Life bulls is that insiders (collectively) have a meaningful investment in the stock. Given insiders own a significant chunk of shares, currently valued at US$69m, they have plenty of motivation to push the business to succeed. That's certainly enough to let shareholders know that management will be very focussed on long term growth.
While insiders already own a significant amount of shares, and they have been buying more, the good news for ordinary shareholders does not stop there. That's because Globe Life's CEO, Frank Svoboda, is paid at a relatively modest level when compared to other CEOs for companies of this size. For companies with market capitalisations over US$8.0b, like Globe Life, the median CEO pay is around US$13m.
The Globe Life CEO received US$7.2m in compensation for the year ending December 2023. 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.
For growth investors, Globe Life's raw rate of earnings growth is a beacon in the night. Furthermore, company insiders have been adding to their significant stake in the company. These things considered, this is one stock worth watching. We don't want to rain on the parade too much, but we did also find 1 warning sign for Globe Life that you need to be mindful of.
There are plenty of other companies that have insiders buying up shares. So if you like the sound of Globe Life, you'll probably love this curated collection of companies in the US that have an attractive valuation alongside insider buying in the last three months.
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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