Is Zimplats Holdings Limited's(ASX:ZIM) Recent Stock Performance Tethered To Its Strong Fundamentals?

Zimplats Holdings (ASX:ZIM) has had a great run on the share market with its stock up by a significant 26% over the last three months. Since the market usually pay for a company’s long-term fundamentals, we decided to study the company’s key performance indicators to see if they could be influencing the market. Particularly, we will be paying attention to Zimplats Holdings' 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 Zimplats Holdings

How Is ROE Calculated?

ROE 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 Zimplats Holdings is:

21% = US$262m ÷ US$1.3b (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2020).

The 'return' refers to a company's earnings over the last year. That means that for every A$1 worth of shareholders' equity, the company generated A$0.21 in profit.

What Has ROE Got To Do With 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 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.

Zimplats Holdings' Earnings Growth And 21% ROE

To start with, Zimplats Holdings' ROE looks acceptable. Especially when compared to the industry average of 13% the company's ROE looks pretty impressive. This certainly adds some context to Zimplats Holdings' exceptional 69% net income growth seen over the past five years. However, there could also be other causes behind this growth. For instance, the company has a low payout ratio or is being managed efficiently.

Next, on comparing with the industry net income growth, we found that Zimplats Holdings' growth is quite high when compared to the industry average growth of 32% in the same period, which is great to see.

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). By doing so, they will have an idea if the stock is headed into clear blue waters or if swampy waters await. Is ZIM fairly valued? This infographic on the company's intrinsic value has everything you need to know.

Is Zimplats Holdings Efficiently Re-investing Its Profits?

The three-year median payout ratio for Zimplats Holdings is 45%, which is moderately low. The company is retaining the remaining 55%. This suggests that its dividend is well covered, and given the high growth we discussed above, it looks like Zimplats Holdings is reinvesting its earnings efficiently.

Moreover, Zimplats Holdings is determined to keep sharing its profits with shareholders which we infer from its long history of five years of paying a dividend.

Summary

In total, we are pretty happy with Zimplats Holdings' performance. In particular, it's great to see that the company is investing heavily into its business and along with a high rate of return, that has resulted in a sizeable growth in its earnings. If the company continues to grow its earnings the way it has, that could have a positive impact on its share price given how earnings per share influence long-term share prices. Not to forget, share price outcomes are also dependent on the potential risks a company may face. So it is important for investors to be aware of the risks involved in the business. To know the 2 risks we have identified for Zimplats Holdings visit our risks dashboard for free.

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. 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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