For beginners, it can seem like a good idea (and an exciting prospect) to buy a company that tells a good story to investors, even if it currently lacks a track record of revenue and profit. Unfortunately, these high risk investments often have little probability of ever paying off, and many investors pay a price to learn their lesson. A loss-making company is yet to prove itself with profit, and eventually the inflow of external capital may dry up.

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 Advanced Braking Technology (ASX:ABV). Now this is not to say that the company presents the best investment opportunity around, but profitability is a key component to success in business.

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How Fast Is Advanced Braking Technology Growing?

If a company can keep growing earnings per share (EPS) long enough, its share price should eventually follow. Therefore, there are plenty of investors who like to buy shares in companies that are growing EPS. Over the last three years, Advanced Braking Technology has grown EPS by 11% per year. That growth rate is fairly good, assuming the company can keep it up.

Top-line growth is a great indicator that growth is sustainable, and combined with a high earnings before interest and taxation (EBIT) margin, it's a great way for a company to maintain a competitive advantage in the market. On the one hand, Advanced Braking Technology's EBIT margins fell over the last year, but on the other hand, revenue grew. So if EBIT margins can stabilize, this top-line growth should pay off for shareholders.

The chart below shows how the company's bottom and top lines have progressed over time. To see the actual numbers, click on the chart.

Check out our latest analysis for Advanced Braking Technology

Since Advanced Braking Technology is no giant, with a market capitalisation of AU$53m, you should definitely check its cash and debt before getting too excited about its prospects.

Are Advanced Braking Technology Insiders Aligned With All Shareholders?

Seeing insiders owning a large portion of the shares on issue is often a good sign. Their incentives will be aligned with the investors and there's less of a probability in a sudden sell-off that would impact the share price. So as you can imagine, the fact that Advanced Braking Technology insiders own a significant number of shares certainly is appealing. Owning 41% of the company, insiders have plenty riding on the performance of the the share price. This should be a welcoming sign for investors because it suggests that the people making the decisions are also impacted by their choices. Of course, Advanced Braking Technology is a very small company, with a market cap of only AU$53m. So despite a large proportional holding, insiders only have AU$22m worth of stock. That's not a huge stake in absolute terms, but it should help keep insiders aligned with other shareholders.

Does Advanced Braking Technology Deserve A Spot On Your Watchlist?

One important encouraging feature of Advanced Braking Technology is that it is growing profits. For those who are looking for a little more than this, the high level of insider ownership enhances our enthusiasm for this growth. These two factors are a huge highlight for the company which should be a strong contender your watchlists. What about risks? Every company has them, and we've spotted 1 warning sign for Advanced Braking Technology you should know about.

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 tailored list of Australian companies which have demonstrated growth backed by significant insider holdings.

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

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Disclaimer:This article represents the opinion of the author only. It does not represent the opinion of Webull, nor should it be viewed as an indication that Webull either agrees with or confirms the truthfulness or accuracy of the information. It should not be considered as investment advice from Webull or anyone else, nor should it be used as the basis of any investment decision.