Shenyang Fortune Precision Equipment (SHSE:688409) has had a rough three months with its share price down 24%. But if you pay close attention, you might find that its key financial indicators look quite decent, which could mean that the stock could potentially rise in the long-term given how markets usually reward more resilient long-term fundamentals. Particularly, we will be paying attention to Shenyang Fortune Precision Equipment's ROE today.

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 short, ROE shows the profit each dollar generates with respect to its shareholder investments.

See our latest analysis for Shenyang Fortune Precision Equipment

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 Shenyang Fortune Precision Equipment is:

4.4% = CN¥213m ÷ CN¥4.8b (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2023).

The 'return' is the income the business earned over the last year. Another way to think of that is that for every CN¥1 worth of equity, the company was able to earn CN¥0.04 in profit.

Why Is ROE Important For Earnings Growth?

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

A Side By Side comparison of Shenyang Fortune Precision Equipment's Earnings Growth And 4.4% ROE

It is quite clear that Shenyang Fortune Precision Equipment's ROE is rather low. Even compared to the average industry ROE of 6.4%, the company's ROE is quite dismal. However, we we're pleasantly surprised to see that Shenyang Fortune Precision Equipment grew its net income at a significant rate of 38% in the last five years. We reckon that there could be other factors at play here. Such as - high earnings retention or an efficient management in place.

As a next step, we compared Shenyang Fortune Precision Equipment's 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 28%.

Earnings growth is an important metric to consider when valuing a stock. The investor should try to establish if the expected growth or decline in earnings, whichever the case may be, is priced in. This then helps them determine if the stock is placed for a bright or bleak future. Is Shenyang Fortune Precision Equipment fairly valued compared to other companies? These 3 valuation measures might help you decide.

Is Shenyang Fortune Precision Equipment Using Its Retained Earnings Effectively?

The high three-year median payout ratio of 54% (implying that it keeps only 46% of profits) for Shenyang Fortune Precision Equipment suggests that the company's growth wasn't really hampered despite it returning most of the earnings to its shareholders.

Summary

On the whole, we do feel that Shenyang Fortune Precision Equipment has some positive attributes. While no doubt its earnings growth is pretty substantial, we do feel that the reinvestment rate is pretty low, meaning, the earnings growth number could have been significantly higher had the company been retaining more of its profits. The latest industry analyst forecasts show that the company is expected to maintain its current growth rate. Are these analysts expectations based on the broad expectations for the industry, or on the company's fundamentals? Click here to be taken to our analyst's forecasts page 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.