Most readers would already be aware that Guangzhou Ruoyuchen TechnologyLtd's (SZSE:003010) stock increased significantly by 22% over the past three months. But the company's key financial indicators appear to be differing across the board and that makes us question whether or not the company's current share price momentum can be maintained. Specifically, we decided to study Guangzhou Ruoyuchen TechnologyLtd's ROE in this article.

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.

Check out our latest analysis for Guangzhou Ruoyuchen TechnologyLtd

How To Calculate Return On Equity?

Return on equity 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 Guangzhou Ruoyuchen TechnologyLtd is:

4.4% = CN¥47m ÷ CN¥1.1b (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2023).

The 'return' is the income the business earned over the last year. So, this means that for every CN¥1 of its shareholder's investments, the company generates a profit of CN¥0.04.

Why Is ROE Important For 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 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.

Guangzhou Ruoyuchen TechnologyLtd's Earnings Growth And 4.4% ROE

As you can see, Guangzhou Ruoyuchen TechnologyLtd's ROE looks pretty weak. Not just that, even compared to the industry average of 6.8%, the company's ROE is entirely unremarkable. For this reason, Guangzhou Ruoyuchen TechnologyLtd's five year net income decline of 34% is not surprising given its lower ROE. We believe that there also might be other aspects that are negatively influencing the company's earnings prospects. For example, the business has allocated capital poorly, or that the company has a very high payout ratio.

That being said, we compared Guangzhou Ruoyuchen TechnologyLtd's performance with the industry and were concerned when we found that while the company has shrunk its earnings, the industry has grown its earnings at a rate of 13% in the same 5-year period.

The basis for attaching value to a company is, to a great extent, tied to its earnings growth. It's important for an investor to know whether the market has priced in the company's expected earnings growth (or decline). Doing so will help them establish if the stock's future looks promising or ominous. If you're wondering about Guangzhou Ruoyuchen TechnologyLtd's's valuation, check out this gauge of its price-to-earnings ratio, as compared to its industry.

Is Guangzhou Ruoyuchen TechnologyLtd Using Its Retained Earnings Effectively?

Guangzhou Ruoyuchen TechnologyLtd's low three-year median payout ratio of 14% (or a retention ratio of 86%) over the last three years should mean that the company is retaining most of its earnings to fuel its growth but the company's earnings have actually shrunk. This typically shouldn't be the case when a company is retaining most of its earnings. So there could be some other explanations in that regard. For example, the company's business may be deteriorating.

Moreover, Guangzhou Ruoyuchen TechnologyLtd has been paying dividends for three years, which is a considerable amount of time, suggesting that management must have perceived that the shareholders prefer consistent dividends even though earnings have been shrinking.

Summary

On the whole, we feel that the performance shown by Guangzhou Ruoyuchen TechnologyLtd can be open to many interpretations. While the company does have a high rate of profit retention, its low rate of return is probably hampering its earnings growth. Wrapping up, we would proceed with caution with this company and one way of doing that would be to look at the risk profile of the business. You can see the 2 risks we have identified for Guangzhou Ruoyuchen TechnologyLtd by visiting our risks dashboard for free on our platform here.

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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.