Hygeia Healthcare Holdings (HKG:6078) has had a rough three months with its share price down 29%. However, stock prices are usually driven by a company's financial performance over the long term, which in this case looks quite promising. Specifically, we decided to study Hygeia Healthcare Holdings' 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. Simply put, it is used to assess the profitability of a company in relation to its equity capital.

Check out our latest analysis for Hygeia Healthcare 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 Hygeia Healthcare Holdings is:

10.0% = CN¥589m ÷ CN¥5.9b (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2023).

The 'return' is the amount earned after tax over the last twelve months. That means that for every HK$1 worth of shareholders' equity, the company generated HK$0.10 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.

A Side By Side comparison of Hygeia Healthcare Holdings' Earnings Growth And 10.0% ROE

To begin with, Hygeia Healthcare Holdings seems to have a respectable ROE. Even when compared to the industry average of 9.6% the company's ROE looks quite decent. Consequently, this likely laid the ground for the impressive net income growth of 51% seen over the past five years by Hygeia Healthcare Holdings. We believe that there might also be other aspects that are positively influencing the company's earnings growth. For instance, the company has a low payout ratio or is being managed efficiently.

As a next step, we compared Hygeia Healthcare Holdings' net income growth with the industry, and pleasingly, we found that the growth seen by the company is higher than the average industry growth of 11%.

Earnings growth is a huge factor in stock valuation. 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 Hygeia Healthcare Holdings''s valuation, check out this gauge of its price-to-earnings ratio, as compared to its industry.

Is Hygeia Healthcare Holdings Efficiently Re-investing Its Profits?

Hygeia Healthcare Holdings' ' three-year median payout ratio is on the lower side at 19% implying that it is retaining a higher percentage (81%) of its profits. So it seems like the management is reinvesting profits heavily to grow its business and this reflects in its earnings growth number.

While Hygeia Healthcare Holdings 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. Our latest analyst data shows that the future payout ratio of the company over the next three years is expected to be approximately 16%. However, Hygeia Healthcare Holdings' ROE is predicted to rise to 16% despite there being no anticipated change in its payout ratio.

Summary

On the whole, we feel that Hygeia Healthcare Holdings' performance has been quite good. In particular, it's great to see that the company is investing heavily into its business and along with a high rate of return, that has resulted in a sizeable growth in its earnings. With that said, the latest industry analyst forecasts reveal that the company's earnings growth is expected to slow down. To know more about the company's future earnings growth forecasts take a look at this free report on analyst forecasts for the company to find out more.

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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.