Advertisement
Australia markets open in 6 hours 16 minutes
  • ALL ORDS

    7,937.50
    -0.40 (-0.01%)
     
  • AUD/USD

    0.6518
    +0.0018 (+0.28%)
     
  • ASX 200

    7,683.00
    -0.50 (-0.01%)
     
  • OIL

    82.87
    +0.06 (+0.07%)
     
  • GOLD

    2,343.30
    +4.90 (+0.21%)
     
  • Bitcoin AUD

    99,050.74
    -723.77 (-0.73%)
     
  • CMC Crypto 200

    1,392.65
    +10.08 (+0.73%)
     

Saferoads Holdings Limited's (ASX:SRH) Stock Is Going Strong: Have Financials A Role To Play?

Saferoads Holdings (ASX:SRH) has had a great run on the share market with its stock up by a significant 69% over the last three months. Given that stock prices are usually aligned with a company's financial performance in the long-term, we decided to study its financial indicators more closely to see if they had a hand to play in the recent price move. Specifically, we decided to study Saferoads Holdings' 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.

View our latest analysis for Saferoads Holdings

How To Calculate Return On Equity?

The formula for return on equity is:

ADVERTISEMENT

Return on Equity = Net Profit (from continuing operations) ÷ Shareholders' Equity

So, based on the above formula, the ROE for Saferoads Holdings is:

6.6% = AU$521k ÷ AU$7.9m (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2020).

The 'return' is the amount earned after tax over the last twelve months. Another way to think of that is that for every A$1 worth of equity, the company was able to earn A$0.07 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. We now need to evaluate how much profit the company reinvests or "retains" for future growth which then gives us an idea about the growth potential of the company. 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.

A Side By Side comparison of Saferoads Holdings' Earnings Growth And 6.6% ROE

On the face of it, Saferoads Holdings' ROE is not much to talk about. However, its ROE is similar to the industry average of 5.7%, so we won't completely dismiss the company. Moreover, we are quite pleased to see that Saferoads Holdings' net income grew significantly at a rate of 32% over the last five years. Considering the moderately low ROE, it is quite possible that there might be some other aspects that are positively influencing the company's earnings growth. Such as - high earnings retention or an efficient management in place.

We then compared Saferoads Holdings' net income growth with the industry and we're pleased to see that the company's growth figure is higher when compared with the industry which has a growth rate of 26% in the same period.

past-earnings-growth
past-earnings-growth

Earnings growth is a huge factor in stock valuation. It’s important for an investor to know whether the market has priced in the company's expected earnings growth (or decline). This then helps them determine if the stock is placed for a bright or bleak future. If you're wondering about Saferoads Holdings''s valuation, check out this gauge of its price-to-earnings ratio, as compared to its industry.

Is Saferoads Holdings Using Its Retained Earnings Effectively?

Summary

On the whole, we do feel that Saferoads Holdings has some positive attributes. Even in spite of the low rate of return, the company has posted impressive earnings growth as a result of reinvesting heavily into its business. While we won't completely dismiss the company, what we would do, is try to ascertain how risky the business is to make a more informed decision around the company. To know the 4 risks we have identified for Saferoads Holdings visit our risks dashboard for free.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. 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.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.