It is hard to get excited after looking at Shenzhen Newway Photomask Making's (SHSE:688401) recent performance, when its stock has declined 12% over the past month. However, a closer look at its sound financials might cause you to think again. Given that fundamentals usually drive long-term market outcomes, the company is worth looking at. In this article, we decided to focus on Shenzhen Newway Photomask Making's ROE.

ROE or return on equity is a useful tool to assess how effectively a company can generate returns on the investment it received from its shareholders. In other words, it is a profitability ratio which measures the rate of return on the capital provided by the company's shareholders.

How Is ROE Calculated?

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 Shenzhen Newway Photomask Making is:

10% = CN¥152m ÷ CN¥1.5b (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2023).

The 'return' is the amount earned after tax over the last twelve months. One way to conceptualize this is that for each CN¥1 of shareholders' capital it has, the company made CN¥0.10 in profit.

What Has ROE Got To Do With Earnings Growth?

We have already established that ROE serves as an efficient profit-generating gauge for a company's future earnings. 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.

Shenzhen Newway Photomask Making's Earnings Growth And 10% ROE

On the face of it, Shenzhen Newway Photomask Making's ROE is not much to talk about. However, the fact that the its ROE is quite higher to the industry average of 6.3% doesn't go unnoticed by us. Particularly, the substantial 46% net income growth seen by Shenzhen Newway Photomask Making over the past five years is impressive . Bear in mind, the company does have a moderately low ROE. It is just that the industry ROE is lower. Therefore, the growth in earnings could also be the result of other factors. E.g the company has a low payout ratio or could belong to a high growth industry.

We then compared Shenzhen Newway Photomask Making's 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 8.8% in the same 5-year period.

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 Shenzhen Newway Photomask Making's's valuation, check out this gauge of its price-to-earnings ratio, as compared to its industry.

Is Shenzhen Newway Photomask Making Making Efficient Use Of Its Profits?

Shenzhen Newway Photomask Making's ' three-year median payout ratio is on the lower side at 20% implying that it is retaining a higher percentage (80%) 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 Shenzhen Newway Photomask Making has been growing its earnings, it only recently started to pay dividends which likely means 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 20%. Regardless, the future ROE for Shenzhen Newway Photomask Making is predicted to rise to 15% despite there being not much change expected in its payout ratio.

Conclusion

Overall, we are quite pleased with Shenzhen Newway Photomask Making's performance. In particular, it's great to see that the company has seen significant growth in its earnings backed by a respectable ROE and a high reinvestment rate. Having said that, the company's earnings growth is expected to slow down, as forecasted in the current analyst estimates. 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.