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. 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.

In contrast to all that, many investors prefer to focus on companies like Givaudan (VTX:GIVN), which has not only revenues, but also profits. While profit isn't the sole metric that should be considered when investing, it's worth recognising businesses that can consistently produce it.

Check out our latest analysis for Givaudan

Givaudan's Earnings Per Share Are Growing

The market is a voting machine in the short term, but a weighing machine in the long term, so you'd expect share price to follow earnings per share (EPS) outcomes eventually. Therefore, there are plenty of investors who like to buy shares in companies that are growing EPS. Over the last three years, Givaudan has grown EPS by 6.3% per year. While that sort of growth rate isn't anything to write home about, it does show the business is growing.

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. While Givaudan may have maintained EBIT margins over the last year, revenue has fallen. This does not bode too well for short term growth prospects and so understanding the reasons for these results is of great importance.

In the chart below, you can see how the company has grown earnings and revenue, over time. Click on the chart to see the exact numbers.

Fortunately, we've got access to analyst forecasts of Givaudan's future profits. You can do your own forecasts without looking, or you can take a peek at what the professionals are predicting.

Are Givaudan Insiders Aligned With All Shareholders?

We would not expect to see insiders owning a large percentage of a CHF38b company like Givaudan. But we do take comfort from the fact that they are investors in the company. Indeed, they have a considerable amount of wealth invested in it, currently valued at CHF2.7b. Holders should find this level of insider commitment quite encouraging, since it would ensure that the leaders of the company would also experience their success, or failure, with the stock.