It is hard to get excited after looking at Shanghai Fullhan Microelectronics' (SZSE:300613) recent performance, when its stock has declined 24% over the past three months. But if you pay close attention, you might gather that its strong financials could mean that the stock could potentially see an increase in value in the long-term, given how markets usually reward companies with good financial health. In this article, we decided to focus on Shanghai Fullhan Microelectronics' ROE.

Return on Equity or ROE is a test of how effectively a company is growing its value and managing investors' money. In other words, it is a profitability ratio which measures the rate of return on the capital provided by the company's shareholders.

Check out our latest analysis for Shanghai Fullhan Microelectronics

How Do You Calculate Return On Equity?

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 Fullhan Microelectronics is:

9.1% = CN¥244m ÷ CN¥2.7b (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¥0.09.

Why Is ROE Important For Earnings Growth?

So far, we've learned that ROE is a measure of a company's profitability. 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. 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 Shanghai Fullhan Microelectronics' Earnings Growth And 9.1% ROE

When you first look at it, Shanghai Fullhan Microelectronics' ROE doesn't look that attractive. Although a closer study shows that the company's ROE is higher than the industry average of 6.4% which we definitely can't overlook. Especially when you consider Shanghai Fullhan Microelectronics' exceptional 40% net income growth over the past five years. That being said, the company does have a slightly low ROE to begin with, just that it is higher than the industry average. So, there might well be other reasons for the earnings to grow. For example, it is possible that the broader industry is going through a high growth phase, or that the company has a low payout ratio.

As a next step, we compared Shanghai Fullhan Microelectronics' 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. 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 Shanghai Fullhan Microelectronics fairly valued compared to other companies? These 3 valuation measures might help you decide.

Is Shanghai Fullhan Microelectronics Making Efficient Use Of Its Profits?

Shanghai Fullhan Microelectronics' ' three-year median payout ratio is on the lower side at 10% implying that it is retaining a higher percentage (90%) 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.

Moreover, Shanghai Fullhan Microelectronics is determined to keep sharing its profits with shareholders which we infer from its long history of seven years of paying a dividend.

Conclusion

Overall, we are quite pleased with Shanghai Fullhan Microelectronics' performance. Specifically, we like that it has been reinvesting a high portion of its profits at a moderate rate of return, resulting in earnings expansion. On studying current analyst estimates, we found that analysts expect the company to continue its recent growth streak. 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.