Yahoo Finance Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:SWBI) Fundamentals Look Pretty Strong: Could The Market Be Wrong About The Stock?
Smith & Wesson Brands (NASDAQ:SWBI) has had a rough three months with its share price down 11%. However, stock prices are usually driven by a company’s financial performance over the long term, which in this case looks quite promising. In this article, we decided to focus on Smith & Wesson Brands' 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. Put another way, it reveals the company's success at turning shareholder investments into profits.
Check out our latest analysis for Smith & Wesson Brands
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 Smith & Wesson Brands is:
76% = US$247m ÷ US$326m (Based on the trailing twelve months to January 2022).
The 'return' is the income the business earned over the last year. Another way to think of that is that for every $1 worth of equity, the company was able to earn $0.76 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. 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 all else is equal, companies that have both a higher return on equity and higher profit retention are usually the ones that have a higher growth rate when compared to companies that don't have the same features.
A Side By Side comparison of Smith & Wesson Brands' Earnings Growth And 76% ROE
First thing first, we like that Smith & Wesson Brands has an impressive ROE. Secondly, even when compared to the industry average of 30% the company's ROE is quite impressive. As a result, Smith & Wesson Brands' exceptional 35% net income growth seen over the past five years, doesn't come as a surprise.
We then compared Smith & Wesson Brands' net income growth with the industry and we're pleased to see that the company's growth figure is higher when compared with the industry which has a growth rate of 23% in the same period.
Earnings growth is an important metric to consider when valuing a stock. The investor should try to establish if the expected growth or decline in earnings, whichever the case may be, is priced in. By doing so, they will have an idea if the stock is headed into clear blue waters or if swampy waters await. What is SWBI worth today? The intrinsic value infographic in our free research report helps visualize whether SWBI is currently mispriced by the market.
Is Smith & Wesson Brands Using Its Retained Earnings Effectively?
Smith & Wesson Brands' ' three-year median payout ratio is on the lower side at 3.9% implying that it is retaining a higher percentage (96%) of its profits. This suggests that the management is reinvesting most of the profits to grow the business as evidenced by the growth seen by the company.
While Smith & Wesson Brands has seen growth in its earnings, it only recently started to pay a dividend. It is most likely that the company decided to impress new and existing shareholders with a dividend.
Conclusion
On the whole, we feel that Smith & Wesson Brands' 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 substantial growth in its earnings. That being so, according to the latest industry analyst forecasts, the company's earnings are expected to shrink in the future. To know more about the latest analysts predictions for the company, check out this visualization of analyst forecasts 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.
