Hangzhou Fortune Gas Cryogenic Group (SHSE:603173) has had a rough three months with its share price down 18%. 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. Particularly, we will be paying attention to Hangzhou Fortune Gas Cryogenic Group's ROE today.

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.

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 Hangzhou Fortune Gas Cryogenic Group is:

12% = CN¥173m ÷ CN¥1.4b (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2023).

The 'return' refers to a company's earnings over the last year. So, this means that for every CN¥1 of its shareholder's investments, the company generates a profit of CN¥0.12.

What Is The Relationship Between ROE And 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.

Hangzhou Fortune Gas Cryogenic Group's Earnings Growth And 12% ROE

To start with, Hangzhou Fortune Gas Cryogenic Group's ROE looks acceptable. On comparing with the average industry ROE of 7.5% the company's ROE looks pretty remarkable. This certainly adds some context to Hangzhou Fortune Gas Cryogenic Group's exceptional 22% net income growth seen over the past five years. We reckon that there could also be other factors at play here. For instance, the company has a low payout ratio or is being managed efficiently.

We then compared Hangzhou Fortune Gas Cryogenic Group'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 11% 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. Is Hangzhou Fortune Gas Cryogenic Group fairly valued compared to other companies? These 3 valuation measures might help you decide.

Is Hangzhou Fortune Gas Cryogenic Group Using Its Retained Earnings Effectively?

Hangzhou Fortune Gas Cryogenic Group's ' three-year median payout ratio is on the lower side at 12% implying that it is retaining a higher percentage (88%) 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.

Along with seeing a growth in earnings, Hangzhou Fortune Gas Cryogenic Group only recently started paying dividends. Its quite possible that the company was looking to impress its shareholders.

Conclusion

In total, we are pretty happy with Hangzhou Fortune Gas Cryogenic Group's performance. 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. Having said that, looking at the current analyst estimates, we found that the company's earnings are expected to gain momentum. 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.