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Is MHM Automation Limited's(NZSE:MHM) Recent Stock Performance Tethered To Its Strong Fundamentals?

Most readers would already be aware that MHM Automation's (NZSE:MHM) stock increased significantly by 66% over the past three months. 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. In this article, we decided to focus on MHM Automation's ROE.

ROE or return on equity is a useful tool to assess how effectively a company can generate returns on the investment it received from its shareholders. Simply put, it is used to assess the profitability of a company in relation to its equity capital.

Check out our latest analysis for MHM Automation

How Is ROE Calculated?

Return on equity can be calculated by using the formula:

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

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So, based on the above formula, the ROE for MHM Automation is:

21% = NZ$934k ÷ NZ$4.5m (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2020).

The 'return' is the yearly profit. Another way to think of that is that for every NZ$1 worth of equity, the company was able to earn NZ$0.21 in profit.

What Is The Relationship Between ROE And Earnings Growth?

We have already established that ROE serves as an efficient profit-generating gauge for a company's future earnings. 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. Generally speaking, other things being equal, firms with a high return on equity and profit retention, have a higher growth rate than firms that don’t share these attributes.

MHM Automation's Earnings Growth And 21% ROE

At first glance, MHM Automation seems to have a decent ROE. On comparing with the average industry ROE of 13% the company's ROE looks pretty remarkable. This probably laid the ground for MHM Automation's moderate 14% net income growth seen over the past five years.

As a next step, we compared MHM Automation's net income growth with the industry and were disappointed to see that the company's growth is lower than the industry average growth of 19% in the same period.

past-earnings-growth
past-earnings-growth

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. If you're wondering about MHM Automation's's valuation, check out this gauge of its price-to-earnings ratio, as compared to its industry.

Is MHM Automation Making Efficient Use Of Its Profits?

Summary

In total, we are pretty happy with MHM Automation's performance. Particularly, we like that the company is reinvesting heavily into its business, and at a high rate of return. As a result, the decent growth in its earnings is not surprising. 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. Remember, the price of a stock is also dependent on the perceived risk. Therefore investors must keep themselves informed about the risks involved before investing in any company. Our risks dashboard would have the 4 risks we have identified for MHM Automation.

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@simplywallst.com.