Yahoo Finance Quaker Chemical Corporation (NYSE:KWR) Stock's Been Sliding But Fundamentals Look Decent: Will The Market Correct The Share Price In The Future?
Quaker Chemical (NYSE:KWR) has had a rough three months with its share price down 33%. However, stock prices are usually driven by a company’s financials over the long term, which in this case look pretty respectable. Specifically, we decided to study Quaker Chemical's 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. In simpler terms, it measures the profitability of a company in relation to shareholder's equity.
Check out our latest analysis for Quaker Chemical
How Do You Calculate Return On Equity?
The formula for ROE is:
Return on Equity = Net Profit (from continuing operations) ÷ Shareholders' Equity
So, based on the above formula, the ROE for Quaker Chemical is:
7.4% = US$103m ÷ US$1.4b (Based on the trailing twelve months to March 2022).
The 'return' is the income the business earned over the last year. So, this means that for every $1 of its shareholder's investments, the company generates a profit of $0.07.
What Has ROE Got To Do With Earnings Growth?
So far, we've learned that ROE is a measure of a company's profitability. 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 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.
Quaker Chemical's Earnings Growth And 7.4% ROE
When you first look at it, Quaker Chemical's ROE doesn't look that attractive. Next, when compared to the average industry ROE of 16%, the company's ROE leaves us feeling even less enthusiastic. Despite this, surprisingly, Quaker Chemical saw an exceptional 24% net income growth over the past five years. Therefore, there could be other reasons behind this growth. For example, it is possible that the company's management has made some good strategic decisions, or that the company has a low payout ratio.
Next, on comparing with the industry net income growth, we found that Quaker Chemical's growth is quite high when compared to the industry average growth of 7.7% 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 Quaker Chemical's's valuation, check out this gauge of its price-to-earnings ratio, as compared to its industry.
Is Quaker Chemical Using Its Retained Earnings Effectively?
Quaker Chemical's three-year median payout ratio is a pretty moderate 29%, meaning the company retains 71% of its income. So it seems that Quaker Chemical 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, Quaker Chemical 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
In total, it does look like Quaker Chemical has some positive aspects to its business. With a high rate of reinvestment, albeit at a low ROE, the company has managed to see a considerable growth in its earnings. Having said that, looking at the current analyst estimates, we found that the company's earnings are expected to gain momentum. 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.
