Evonik Industries AG's (ETR:EVK) Stock Going Strong But Fundamentals Look Weak: What Implications Could This Have On The Stock?
Most readers would already be aware that Evonik Industries' (ETR:EVK) stock increased significantly by 16% over the past three months. We, however wanted to have a closer look at its key financial indicators as the markets usually pay for long-term fundamentals, and in this case, they don't look very promising. Particularly, we will be paying attention to Evonik Industries' 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 simpler terms, it measures the profitability of a company in relation to shareholder's equity.
See our latest analysis for Evonik Industries
How To Calculate Return On Equity?
The formula for ROE is:
Return on Equity = Net Profit (from continuing operations) ÷ Shareholders' Equity
So, based on the above formula, the ROE for Evonik Industries is:
8.0% = €942m ÷ €12b (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2022).
The 'return' refers to a company's earnings over the last year. Another way to think of that is that for every €1 worth of equity, the company was able to earn €0.08 in profit.
Why Is ROE Important For Earnings Growth?
So far, we've learned that ROE is a measure of a company's profitability. 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 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.
Evonik Industries' Earnings Growth And 8.0% ROE
On the face of it, Evonik Industries' ROE is not much to talk about. Next, when compared to the average industry ROE of 11%, the company's ROE leaves us feeling even less enthusiastic. Hence, the flat earnings seen by Evonik Industries over the past five years could probably be the result of it having a lower ROE.
Next, on comparing with the industry net income growth, we found that Evonik Industries' reported growth was lower than the industry growth of 6.6% in the same period, which is not something we like to see.
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). By doing so, they will have an idea if the stock is headed into clear blue waters or if swampy waters await. What is EVK worth today? The intrinsic value infographic in our free research report helps visualize whether EVK is currently mispriced by the market.
Is Evonik Industries Efficiently Re-investing Its Profits?
The high three-year median payout ratio of 79% (meaning, the company retains only 21% of profits) for Evonik Industries suggests that the company's earnings growth was miniscule as a result of paying out a majority of its earnings.
Additionally, Evonik Industries has paid dividends over a period of nine years, which means that the company's management is determined to pay dividends even if it means little to no earnings growth. Existing analyst estimates suggest that the company's future payout ratio is expected to drop to 60% over the next three years. Regardless, the ROE is not expected to change much for the company despite the lower expected payout ratio.
Summary
On the whole, Evonik Industries' performance is quite a big let-down. Because the company is not reinvesting much into the business, and given the low ROE, it's not surprising to see the lack or absence of growth in its earnings. With that said, the latest industry analyst forecasts reveal that the company's earnings are expected to accelerate. To know more about the company's future earnings growth forecasts take a look at this free report on analyst forecasts for the company to find out more.
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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.
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