Yahoo Finance Hawkins, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:HWKN) Stock Has Been Sliding But Fundamentals Look Strong: Is The Market Wrong?
Hawkins (NASDAQ:HWKN) has had a rough three months with its share price down 11%. 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. Specifically, we decided to study Hawkins' ROE in this article.
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.
See our latest analysis for Hawkins
How Do You Calculate Return On Equity?
The formula for ROE is:
Return on Equity = Net Profit (from continuing operations) ÷ Shareholders' Equity
So, based on the above formula, the ROE for Hawkins is:
17% = US$48m ÷ US$284m (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2021).
The 'return' refers to a company's earnings over the last year. Another way to think of that is that for every $1 worth of equity, the company was able to earn $0.17 in profit.
Why Is ROE Important For Earnings Growth?
So far, we've learned that ROE is a measure of a company's profitability. Depending on how much of these profits the company reinvests or "retains", and how effectively it does so, we are then able to assess a company’s earnings growth potential. Assuming everything else remains unchanged, the higher the ROE and profit retention, the higher the growth rate of a company compared to companies that don't necessarily bear these characteristics.
Hawkins' Earnings Growth And 17% ROE
To start with, Hawkins' ROE looks acceptable. Further, the company's ROE compares quite favorably to the industry average of 14%. This probably laid the ground for Hawkins' significant 24% net income growth seen over the past five years. We reckon that there could also be other factors at play here. For instance, the company has a low payout ratio or is being managed efficiently.
As a next step, we compared Hawkins' net income growth with the industry, and pleasingly, we found that the growth seen by the company is higher than the average industry growth of 6.0%.
Earnings growth is a huge factor in stock valuation. The investor should try to establish if the expected growth or decline in earnings, whichever the case may be, is priced in. This then helps them determine if the stock is placed for a bright or bleak future. 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 Hawkins is trading on a high P/E or a low P/E, relative to its industry.
Is Hawkins Efficiently Re-investing Its Profits?
Hawkins' three-year median payout ratio is a pretty moderate 29%, meaning the company retains 71% of its income. This suggests that its dividend is well covered, and given the high growth we discussed above, it looks like Hawkins is reinvesting its earnings efficiently.
Moreover, Hawkins 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.
Summary
On the whole, we feel that Hawkins' performance has been quite good. Particularly, we like that the company is reinvesting heavily into its business, and at a high rate of return. Unsurprisingly, this has led to an impressive earnings growth.
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.
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