Weaver Network Technology (SHSE:603039) has had a rough week with its share price down 5.8%. 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 Weaver Network Technology'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. Simply put, it is used to assess the profitability of a company in relation to its equity capital.

How Is ROE Calculated?

The formula for ROE is:

Return on Equity = Net Profit (from continuing operations) ÷ Shareholders' Equity

So, based on the above formula, the ROE for Weaver Network Technology is:

10% = CN¥206m ÷ CN¥2.0b (Based on the trailing twelve months to March 2024).

The 'return' is the amount earned after tax over the last twelve months. That means that for every CN¥1 worth of shareholders' equity, the company generated CN¥0.10 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. 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 everything else remains unchanged, the higher the ROE and profit retention, the higher the growth rate of a company compared to companies that don't necessarily bear these characteristics.

Weaver Network Technology's Earnings Growth And 10% ROE

When you first look at it, Weaver Network Technology's ROE doesn't look that attractive. However, the fact that the company's ROE is higher than the average industry ROE of 4.2%, is definitely interesting. This probably goes some way in explaining Weaver Network Technology's moderate 7.9% growth over the past five years amongst other factors. 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.

Next, on comparing with the industry net income growth, we found that the growth figure reported by Weaver Network Technology compares quite favourably to the industry average, which shows a decline of 2.8% over the last few years.

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. What is 603039 worth today? The intrinsic value infographic in our free research report helps visualize whether 603039 is currently mispriced by the market.

Is Weaver Network Technology Using Its Retained Earnings Effectively?

Weaver Network Technology's three-year median payout ratio to shareholders is 13% (implying that it retains 87% of its income), which is on the lower side, so it seems like the management is reinvesting profits heavily to grow its business.

Besides, Weaver Network Technology has been paying dividends over a period of seven years. This shows that the company is committed to sharing profits with its shareholders. Our latest analyst data shows that the future payout ratio of the company over the next three years is expected to be approximately 13%. As a result, Weaver Network Technology's ROE is not expected to change by much either, which we inferred from the analyst estimate of 12% for future ROE.

Conclusion

Overall, we are quite pleased with Weaver Network Technology'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. 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.