Yahoo Finance Could The Market Be Wrong About Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) Given Its Attractive Financial Prospects?
Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) has had a rough month with its share price down 12%. However, stock prices are usually driven by a company’s financial performance over the long term, which in this case looks quite promising. Specifically, we decided to study Agilent Technologies' ROE in this article.
Return on equity or ROE is an important factor to be considered by a shareholder because it tells them how effectively their capital is being reinvested. Simply put, it is used to assess the profitability of a company in relation to its equity capital.
Check out our latest analysis for Agilent Technologies
How To Calculate Return On Equity?
The formula for return on equity is:
Return on Equity = Net Profit (from continuing operations) ÷ Shareholders' Equity
So, based on the above formula, the ROE for Agilent Technologies is:
24% = US$1.3b ÷ US$5.6b (Based on the trailing twelve months to January 2023).
The 'return' is the yearly profit. That means that for every $1 worth of shareholders' equity, the company generated $0.24 in profit.
What Has ROE Got To Do With Earnings Growth?
We have already established that ROE serves as an efficient profit-generating gauge for a company's future earnings. 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.
Agilent Technologies' Earnings Growth And 24% ROE
First thing first, we like that Agilent Technologies has an impressive ROE. Secondly, even when compared to the industry average of 14% the company's ROE is quite impressive. Under the circumstances, Agilent Technologies' considerable five year net income growth of 21% was to be expected.
We then compared Agilent Technologies' net income growth with the industry and found that the company's growth figure is lower than the average industry growth rate of 31% in the same period, which is a bit concerning.
Earnings growth is an important metric to consider when valuing a stock. 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. Is Agilent Technologies fairly valued compared to other companies? These 3 valuation measures might help you decide.
Is Agilent Technologies Making Efficient Use Of Its Profits?
Agilent Technologies' ' three-year median payout ratio is on the lower side at 24% implying that it is retaining a higher percentage (76%) of its profits. So it looks like Agilent Technologies is reinvesting profits heavily to grow its business, which shows in its earnings growth.
Besides, Agilent Technologies has been paying dividends for at least ten years or more. This shows that the company is committed to sharing profits with its shareholders. Our latest analyst data shows that the future payout ratio of the company is expected to drop to 14% over the next three years. Despite the lower expected payout ratio, the company's ROE is not expected to change by much.
Conclusion
On the whole, we feel that Agilent Technologies' performance has been quite good. 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 a good amount of growth in its earnings. Having said that, the company's earnings growth is expected to slow down, as forecasted in the current analyst estimates. 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.
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