With its stock down 25% over the past three months, it is easy to disregard Shanghai Geoharbour Construction Group (SHSE:605598). We, however decided to study the company's financials to determine if they have got anything to do with the price decline. Stock prices are usually driven by a company's financial performance over the long term, and therefore we decided to pay more attention to the company's financial performance. Particularly, we will be paying attention to Shanghai Geoharbour Construction Group's ROE today.

Return on equity or ROE is a key measure used to assess how efficiently a company's management is utilizing the company's capital. In other words, it is a profitability ratio which measures the rate of return on the capital provided by the company's shareholders.

View our latest analysis for Shanghai Geoharbour Construction Group

How Is ROE Calculated?

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 Shanghai Geoharbour Construction Group is:

8.9% = CN¥150m ÷ CN¥1.7b (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2023).

The 'return' is the profit 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¥0.09 in profit.

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.

Shanghai Geoharbour Construction Group's Earnings Growth And 8.9% ROE

When you first look at it, Shanghai Geoharbour Construction Group's ROE doesn't look that attractive. However, its ROE is similar to the industry average of 8.3%, so we won't completely dismiss the company. On the other hand, Shanghai Geoharbour Construction Group reported a fairly low 2.6% net income growth over the past five years. Remember, the company's ROE is not particularly great to begin with. So this could also be one of the reasons behind the company's low growth in earnings.

We then compared Shanghai Geoharbour Construction Group's net income growth with the industry and found that the company's growth figure is lower than the average industry growth rate of 10% in the same 5-year period, which is a bit concerning.

Earnings growth is an important metric to consider when valuing a stock. What investors need to determine next is if the expected earnings growth, or the lack of it, is already built into the share price. By doing so, they will have an idea if the stock is headed into clear blue waters or if swampy waters await. One good indicator of expected earnings growth is the P/E ratio which determines the price the market is willing to pay for a stock based on its earnings prospects. So, you may want to check if Shanghai Geoharbour Construction Group is trading on a high P/E or a low P/E, relative to its industry.

Is Shanghai Geoharbour Construction Group Efficiently Re-investing Its Profits?

Shanghai Geoharbour Construction Group's low three-year median payout ratio of 8.2% (or a retention ratio of 92%) should mean that the company is retaining most of its earnings to fuel its growth. This should be reflected in its earnings growth number, but that's not the case. Therefore, there might be some other reasons to explain the lack in that respect. For example, the business could be in decline.

Additionally, Shanghai Geoharbour Construction Group started paying a dividend only recently. So it looks like the management must have perceived that shareholders favor dividends over earnings growth.

Conclusion

In total, we're a bit ambivalent about Shanghai Geoharbour Construction Group's performance. While the company does have a high rate of profit retention, its low rate of return is probably hampering its earnings growth. That being so, the latest analyst forecasts show that the company will continue to see an expansion in its earnings. 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.