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. But the reality is that when a company loses money each year, for long enough, its investors will usually take their share of those losses. Loss making companies can act like a sponge for capital – so investors should be cautious that they’re not throwing good money after bad.

In contrast to all that, many investors prefer to focus on companies like FOS Capital (ASX:FOS), which has not only revenues, but also profits. Even if this company is fairly valued by the market, investors would agree that generating consistent profits will continue to provide FOS Capital with the means to add long-term value to shareholders.

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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. FOS Capital managed to grow EPS by 16% per year, over three years. 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. The music to the ears of FOS Capital shareholders is that EBIT margins have grown from 4.2% to 6.8% in the last 12 months and revenues are on an upwards trend as well. Ticking those two boxes is a good sign of growth, in our book.

You can take a look at the company’s revenue and earnings growth trend, in the chart below. Click on the chart to see the exact numbers.

See our latest analysis for FOS Capital

FOS Capital isn’t a huge company, given its market capitalisation of AU$14m. That makes it extra important to check on its balance sheet strength .

Prior to investment, it’s always a good idea to check that the management team is paid reasonably. Pay levels around or below the median, can be a sign that shareholder interests are well considered. Our analysis has discovered that the median total compensation for the CEOs of companies like FOS Capital with market caps under AU$331m is about AU$461k.