Yahoo Finance Are Robust Financials Driving The Recent Rally In Mueller Industries, Inc.'s (NYSE:MLI) Stock?
Mueller Industries' (NYSE:MLI) stock is up by a considerable 23% over the past month. Given the company's impressive performance, we decided to study its financial indicators more closely as a company's financial health over the long-term usually dictates market outcomes. Particularly, we will be paying attention to Mueller Industries' ROE today.
Return on equity or ROE is a key measure used to assess how efficiently a company's management is utilizing the company's capital. In short, ROE shows the profit each dollar generates with respect to its shareholder investments.
View our latest analysis for Mueller Industries
How Is ROE Calculated?
ROE 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 Mueller Industries is:
34% = US$386m ÷ US$1.1b (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2021).
The 'return' is the amount earned after tax over the last twelve months. One way to conceptualize this is that for each $1 of shareholders' capital it has, the company made $0.34 in profit.
What Has ROE Got To Do With Earnings Growth?
Thus far, we have learned that ROE measures how efficiently a company is generating its profits. 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. Assuming all else is equal, companies that have both a higher return on equity and higher profit retention are usually the ones that have a higher growth rate when compared to companies that don't have the same features.
Mueller Industries' Earnings Growth And 34% ROE
Firstly, we acknowledge that Mueller Industries has a significantly high ROE. Additionally, the company's ROE is higher compared to the industry average of 11% which is quite remarkable. So, the substantial 23% net income growth seen by Mueller Industries over the past five years isn't overly surprising.
Next, on comparing with the industry net income growth, we found that Mueller Industries' growth is quite high when compared to the industry average growth of 8.0% in the same period, which is great to see.
The basis for attaching value to a company is, to a great extent, tied to its earnings growth. What investors need to determine next is if the expected earnings growth, or the lack of it, is already built into the share price. 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 Mueller Industries is trading on a high P/E or a low P/E, relative to its industry.
Is Mueller Industries Making Efficient Use Of Its Profits?
Mueller Industries' three-year median payout ratio to shareholders is 19%, which is quite low. This implies that the company is retaining 81% of its profits. This suggests that the management is reinvesting most of the profits to grow the business as evidenced by the growth seen by the company.
Besides, Mueller Industries has been paying dividends for at least ten years or more. This shows that the company is committed to sharing profits with its shareholders.
Summary
Overall, we are quite pleased with Mueller Industries' performance. Specifically, we like that the company is reinvesting a huge chunk of its profits at a high rate of return. This of course has caused the company to see substantial growth in its earnings.
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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