Yahoo Finance Azeus Systems Holdings Ltd.'s (SGX:BBW) Recent Stock Price Movement Is Nothing To Get Excited About But Financials Could Add More To The Story
It is easy to overlook Azeus Systems Holdings' (SGX:BBW) given its unimpressive and roughly flat price performance over the past week. However, its fundamentals look pretty strong which means that its price could rise in the future as markets usually follow the long-term financial performance of a business. In this article, we decided to focus on Azeus Systems Holdings' ROE.
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 Azeus Systems Holdings
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 Azeus Systems Holdings is:
30% = HK$51m ÷ HK$170m (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2022).
The 'return' is the income the business earned over the last year. Another way to think of that is that for every SGD1 worth of equity, the company was able to earn SGD0.30 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 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.
Azeus Systems Holdings' Earnings Growth And 30% ROE
Firstly, we acknowledge that Azeus Systems Holdings 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 51% net income growth seen by Azeus Systems Holdings over the past five years isn't overly surprising.
Next, on comparing with the industry net income growth, we found that Azeus Systems Holdings' growth is quite high when compared to the industry average growth of 41% 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. By doing so, they will have an idea if the stock is headed into clear blue waters or if swampy waters await. 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 Azeus Systems Holdings is trading on a high P/E or a low P/E, relative to its industry.
Is Azeus Systems Holdings Using Its Retained Earnings Effectively?
The three-year median payout ratio for Azeus Systems Holdings is 43%, which is moderately low. The company is retaining the remaining 57%. So it seems that Azeus Systems Holdings is reinvesting efficiently in a way that it sees impressive growth in its earnings (discussed above) and pays a dividend that's well covered.
Moreover, Azeus Systems Holdings 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 Azeus Systems Holdings' performance has been quite good. In particular, it's great to see that the company is investing heavily into its business and along with a high rate of return, that has resulted in a sizeable growth in its earnings. If the company continues to grow its earnings the way it has, that could have a positive impact on its share price given how earnings per share influence long-term share prices. Let's not forget, business risk is also one of the factors that affects the price of the stock. So this is also an important area that investors need to pay attention to before making a decision on any business. You can see the 2 risks we have identified for Azeus Systems Holdings by visiting our risks dashboard for free on our platform here.
Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.
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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