Zacks.com Featured Highlights Include: Ulta, Century Communities, NVIDIA, Cheniere And Progressive
Zacks Investment Research | May 21, 2018 08:31AM ET
For Immediate Release
Chicago, IL – May 21, 2018 - Stocks in this week’s article Ulta Beauty, Inc. (NASDAQ:ULTA) , Century Communities, Inc. (NYSE:CCS) , NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) , Cheniere Energy Partners LP Holdings, LLC (NYSE:CQH) and The Progressive Corporation (NYSE:PGR) .
Bet on These Stocks with Remarkable Net Profit Margins
Net profit, also referred to as the bottom line, is one of the key tools that gauges the financial health of an enterprise. The figure demonstrates a company’s ability to convert per dollar sales into profits.
A low profit margin indicates higher risks, implying that a drop in revenues might dent profits, pushing the company into the red (net loss).
Net Profit Margin = Net profit/Sales* 100.
In simple terms, net profit is the amount a company retains after deducting all costs, interest, depreciation, taxes and other expenses. In fact, net profit margin can turn out to be a potent point of reference to gauge the strength in a company operations and cost-control measures.
Also, higher net profit is essential for rewarding stakeholders. Further, strength in the metric not only attracts investors but also draws well-skilled employees that eventually add to the value of the business.
Moreover, a higher net profit margin compared to its peers lends the company a competitive edge.
Pros and Cons
Net profit margin helps investors gain clarity on a company’s business model in terms of pricing policy, cost structure and manufacturing efficiency. Hence, a strong net profit margin is preferred by all classes of investors.
However, net profit margin as an investment criterion has its own share of pitfalls. The metric varies widely from industry to industry. While net income is a key metric for investment measurement in traditional industries, it is not that important for technology companies.
Moreover, the difference in accounting treatment of various items — especially non-cash expenses like depreciation and stock-based compensation — makes comparison a daunting task.
Further, for companies preferring to grow with debt instead of equity funding, higher interest expenses usually weigh on net profit. In such cases, the measure is rendered ineffective to analyze a company’s performance.
For the rest of this Screen of the Week article please visit Zacks.com at: Zacks Investment Research
Get The News You Want
Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.