It is hard to get excited after looking at Hawesko Holding’s (ETR:HAW) recent performance, when its stock has declined 15% over the past three months. However, a closer look at its sound financials might cause you to think again. Given that fundamentals usually drive long-term market outcomes, the company is worth looking at. Particularly, we will be paying attention to Hawesko Holding’s ROE today.
Return on Equity or ROE is a test of how effectively a company is growing its value and managing investors’ money. In simpler terms, it measures the profitability of a company in relation to shareholder’s equity.
View our latest analysis for Hawesko Holding
How To Calculate Return On Equity?
Return on equity can be calculated by using the formula:
Return on Equity = Net Profit (from continuing operations) ÷ Shareholders’ Equity
So, based on the above formula, the ROE for Hawesko Holding is:
18% = €22m ÷ €126m (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2023).
The ‘return’ is the yearly profit. One way to conceptualize this is that for each €1 of shareholders’ capital it has, the company made €0.18 in profit.
Why Is ROE Important For Earnings Growth?
We have already established that ROE serves as an efficient profit-generating gauge for a company’s future earnings. Based on how much of its profits the company chooses to reinvest or “retain”, we are then able to evaluate a company’s future ability to generate profits. Generally speaking, other things being equal, firms with a high return on equity and profit retention, have a higher growth rate than firms that don’t share these attributes.
A Side By Side comparison of Hawesko Holding’s Earnings Growth And 18% ROE
To start with, Hawesko Holding’s ROE looks acceptable. On comparing with the average industry ROE of 11% the company’s ROE looks pretty remarkable. This probably laid the ground for Hawesko Holding’s moderate 9.2% net income growth seen over the past five years.
We then performed a comparison between Hawesko Holding’s net income growth with the industry, which revealed that the company’s growth is similar to the average industry growth of 9.6% in the same 5-year period.
Earnings growth is an important metric to consider when valuing a stock. It’s important for an investor to know whether the market has priced in the company’s expected earnings growth (or decline). Doing so will help them establish if the stock’s future looks promising or ominous. One good indicator of expected earnings growth is the P/E ratio which determines the price the market is willing to pay for a stock based on its earnings prospects. So, you may want to check if Hawesko Holding is trading on a high P/E or a low P/E, relative to its industry.
Is Hawesko Holding Efficiently Re-investing Its Profits?
Hawesko Holding has a significant three-year median payout ratio of 59%, meaning that it is left with only 41% to reinvest into its business. This implies that the company has been able to achieve decent earnings growth despite returning most of its profits to shareholders.
Moreover, Hawesko Holding is determined to keep sharing its profits with shareholders which we infer from its long history of paying a dividend for at least ten years. Based on the latest analysts’ estimates, we found that the company’s future payout ratio over the next three years is expected to hold steady at 68%. Accordingly, forecasts suggest that Hawesko Holding’s future ROE will be 20% which is again, similar to the current ROE.
Conclusion
In total, we are pretty happy with Hawesko Holding’s performance. In particular, its high ROE is quite noteworthy and also the probable explanation behind its considerable earnings growth. Yet, the company is retaining a small portion of its profits. Which means that the company has been able to grow its earnings in spite of it, so that’s not too bad. With that said, the latest industry analyst forecasts reveal that the company’s earnings are expected to accelerate. Are these analysts expectations based on the broad expectations for the industry, or on the company’s fundamentals? Click here to be taken to our analyst’s forecasts page for the company.
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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.