Yahoo Finance Is Napier Port Holdings Limited's (NZSE:NPH) Recent Stock Performance Influenced By Its Financials In Any Way?
Most readers would already know that Napier Port Holdings' (NZSE:NPH) stock increased by 7.3% over the past three months. We wonder if and what role the company's financials play in that price change as a company's long-term fundamentals usually dictate market outcomes. Particularly, we will be paying attention to Napier Port Holdings' ROE today.
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 Napier Port Holdings
How To Calculate Return On Equity?
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 Napier Port Holdings is:
5.3% = NZ$21m ÷ NZ$387m (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2022).
The 'return' is the income the business earned over the last year. That means that for every NZ$1 worth of shareholders' equity, the company generated NZ$0.05 in profit.
What Has ROE Got To Do With Earnings Growth?
So far, we've learned that ROE is a measure of a company's profitability. 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.
Napier Port Holdings' Earnings Growth And 5.3% ROE
On the face of it, Napier Port Holdings' ROE is not much to talk about. However, given that the company's ROE is similar to the average industry ROE of 5.4%, we may spare it some thought. On the other hand, Napier Port Holdings reported a moderate 13% net income growth over the past five years. Given the slightly low ROE, it is likely that there could be some other aspects that are driving this growth. For instance, the company has a low payout ratio or is being managed efficiently.
Next, on comparing with the industry net income growth, we found that Napier Port Holdings' growth is quite high when compared to the industry average growth of 5.6% in the same period, which is great to see.
Earnings growth is an important metric to consider when valuing a stock. It’s important for an investor to know whether the market has priced in the company's expected earnings growth (or decline). 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 Napier Port Holdings''s valuation, check out this gauge of its price-to-earnings ratio, as compared to its industry.
Is Napier Port Holdings Using Its Retained Earnings Effectively?
The high three-year median payout ratio of 62% (or a retention ratio of 38%) for Napier Port Holdings suggests that the company's growth wasn't really hampered despite it returning most of its income to its shareholders.
Besides, Napier Port Holdings has been paying dividends over a period of three years. 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 rise to 79% over the next three years. Still, forecasts suggest that Napier Port Holdings' future ROE will rise to 7.2% even though the the company's payout ratio is expected to rise. We presume that there could some other characteristics of the business that could be driving the anticipated growth in the company's ROE.
Conclusion
In total, it does look like Napier Port Holdings has some positive aspects to its business. Namely, its high earnings growth. We do however feel that the earnings growth number could have been even higher, had the company been reinvesting more of its earnings and paid out less dividends. That being so, the latest analyst forecasts show that the company will continue to see an expansion in its earnings. 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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