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.

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

View our latest analysis for Xunlei

How Fast Is Xunlei Growing?

Generally, companies experiencing growth in earnings per share (EPS) should see similar trends in share price. Therefore, there are plenty of investors who like to buy shares in companies that are growing EPS. Impressively, Xunlei has grown EPS by 34% per year, compound, in the last three years. If the company can sustain that sort of growth, we'd expect shareholders to come away satisfied.

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. EBIT margins for Xunlei remained fairly unchanged over the last year, however the company should be pleased to report its revenue growth for the period of 99% to US$360m. That's progress.

The chart below shows how the company's bottom and top lines have progressed over time. For finer detail, click on the image.

Xunlei isn't a huge company, given its market capitalisation of US$127m. That makes it extra important to check on its balance sheet strength.

Are Xunlei Insiders Aligned With All Shareholders?

It's pleasing to see company leaders with putting their money on the line, so to speak, because it increases alignment of incentives between the people running the business, and its true owners. Xunlei followers will find comfort in knowing that insiders have a significant amount of capital that aligns their best interests with the wider shareholder group. To be specific, they have US$15m worth of shares. That's a lot of money, and no small incentive to work hard. That amounts to 11% of the company, demonstrating a degree of high-level alignment with shareholders.

Is Xunlei Worth Keeping An Eye On?

If you believe that share price follows earnings per share you should definitely be delving further into Xunlei's strong EPS growth. With EPS growth rates like that, it's hardly surprising to see company higher-ups place confidence in the company through continuing to hold a significant investment. Fast growth and confident insiders should be enough to warrant further research, so it would seem that it's a good stock to follow. Now, you could try to make up your mind on Xunlei by focusing on just these factors, or you could also consider how its price-to-earnings ratio compares to other companies in its industry.

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 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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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.