Advertisement
U.S. markets close in 1 hour 23 minutes
  • S&P 500

    5,252.88
    +4.39 (+0.08%)
     
  • Dow 30

    39,780.93
    +20.85 (+0.05%)
     
  • Nasdaq

    16,378.69
    -20.83 (-0.13%)
     
  • Russell 2000

    2,123.05
    +8.70 (+0.41%)
     
  • Crude Oil

    83.14
    +1.79 (+2.20%)
     
  • Gold

    2,242.00
    +29.30 (+1.32%)
     
  • Silver

    24.98
    +0.23 (+0.92%)
     
  • EUR/USD

    1.0796
    -0.0034 (-0.31%)
     
  • 10-Yr Bond

    4.2040
    +0.0080 (+0.19%)
     
  • GBP/USD

    1.2622
    -0.0016 (-0.12%)
     
  • USD/JPY

    151.3880
    +0.1420 (+0.09%)
     
  • Bitcoin USD

    70,814.02
    +2,105.94 (+3.07%)
     
  • CMC Crypto 200

    885.54
    0.00 (0.00%)
     
  • FTSE 100

    7,952.62
    +20.64 (+0.26%)
     
  • Nikkei 225

    40,168.07
    -594.66 (-1.46%)
     

Do Central Valley Community Bancorp's (NASDAQ:CVCY) Earnings Warrant Your Attention?

Some have more dollars than sense, they say, so even companies that have no revenue, no profit, and a record of falling short, can easily find investors. But as Peter Lynch said in One Up On Wall Street, 'Long shots almost never pay off.'

In the age of tech-stock blue-sky investing, my choice may seem old fashioned; I still prefer profitable companies like Central Valley Community Bancorp (NASDAQ:CVCY). Even if the shares are fully valued today, most capitalists would recognize its profits as the demonstration of steady value generation. Conversely, a loss-making company is yet to prove itself with profit, and eventually the sweet milk of external capital may run sour.

Check out our latest analysis for Central Valley Community Bancorp

Central Valley Community Bancorp's Earnings Per Share Are Growing.

If a company can keep growing earnings per share (EPS) long enough, its share price will eventually follow. That makes EPS growth an attractive quality for any company. As a tree reaches steadily for the sky, Central Valley Community Bancorp's EPS has grown 23% each year, compound, over three years. If the company can sustain that sort of growth, we'd expect shareholders to come away winners.

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. I note that Central Valley Community Bancorp's revenue from operations was lower than its revenue in the last twelve months, so that could distort my analysis of its margins. While we note Central Valley Community Bancorp's EBIT margins were flat over the last year, revenue grew by a solid 12% to US$81m. That's a real positive.

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.

earnings-and-revenue-history
earnings-and-revenue-history

You don't drive with your eyes on the rear-view mirror, so you might be more interested in this free report showing analyst forecasts for Central Valley Community Bancorp's future profits.

Are Central Valley Community Bancorp Insiders Aligned With All Shareholders?

Like standing at the lookout, surveying the horizon at sunrise, insider buying, for some investors, sparks joy. That's because insider buying often indicates that those closest to the company have confidence that the share price will perform well. However, insiders are sometimes wrong, and we don't know the exact thinking behind their acquisitions.

Despite -US$81k worth of sales, Central Valley Community Bancorp insiders have overwhelmingly been buying the stock, spending US$411k on purchases in the last twelve months. On balance, to me, this signals their optimism. It is also worth noting that it was Executive VP & Market Executive Anthony Ramos who made the biggest single purchase, worth US$100k, paying US$14.52 per share.

Along with the insider buying, another encouraging sign for Central Valley Community Bancorp is that insiders, as a group, have a considerable shareholding. Indeed, they hold US$44m worth of its stock. That shows significant buy-in, and may indicate conviction in the business strategy. That amounts to 16% of the company, demonstrating a degree of high-level alignment with shareholders.

While insiders are apparently happy to hold and accumulate shares, that is just part of the pretty picture. The cherry on top is that the CEO, Jim Ford is paid comparatively modestly to CEOs at similar sized companies. For companies with market capitalizations between US$100m and US$400m, like Central Valley Community Bancorp, the median CEO pay is around US$1.1m.

Central Valley Community Bancorp offered total compensation worth US$631k to its CEO in the year to . That seems pretty reasonable, especially given its 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 Central Valley Community Bancorp To Your Watchlist?

For growth investors like me, Central Valley Community Bancorp's raw rate of earnings growth is a beacon in the night. Not only that, but we can see that insiders both own a lot of, and are buying more, shares in the company. So I do think this is one stock worth watching. We should say that we've discovered 2 warning signs for Central Valley Community Bancorp (1 is a bit concerning!) that you should be aware of before investing here.

The good news is that Central Valley Community Bancorp is not the only growth stock with insider buying. Here's a list of them... with insider buying in the last three months!

Please note the insider transactions discussed in this article refer to reportable transactions in the relevant jurisdiction.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. 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.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.

Advertisement