The excitement of investing in a company that can reverse its fortunes is a big draw for some speculators, so even companies that have no revenue, no profit, and a record of falling short, can manage to find investors. Unfortunately, these high risk investments often have little probability of ever paying off, and many investors pay a price to learn their lesson. 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 Associated British Foods (LON:ABF). Even if this company is fairly valued by the market, investors would agree that generating consistent profits will continue to provide Associated British Foods with the means to add long-term value to shareholders.

Check out our latest analysis for Associated British Foods

Associated British Foods' Earnings Per Share Are Growing

Generally, companies experiencing growth in earnings per share (EPS) should see similar trends in share price. So it makes sense that experienced investors pay close attention to company EPS when undertaking investment research. Associated British Foods' shareholders have have plenty to be happy about as their annual EPS growth for the last 3 years was 47%. Growth that fast may well be fleeting, but it should be more than enough to pique the interest of the wary stock pickers.

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. Associated British Foods maintained stable EBIT margins over the last year, all while growing revenue 6.8% to UK￡20b. That's progress.

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.

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 Associated British Foods?

Are Associated British Foods Insiders Aligned With All Shareholders?

Since Associated British Foods has a market capitalisation of UK￡17b, we wouldn't expect insiders to hold a large percentage of shares. But we do take comfort from the fact that they are investors in the company. Notably, they have an enviable stake in the company, worth UK￡104m. This comes in at 0.6% of shares in the company, which is a fair amount of a business of this size. This still shows shareholders there is a degree of alignment between management and themselves.