Shanghai Carthane Co.,Ltd.'s (SHSE:603037) Stock On An Uptrend: Could Fundamentals Be Driving The Momentum?

Most readers would already be aware that Shanghai CarthaneLtd's (SHSE:603037) stock increased significantly by 13% over the past week. Given that stock prices are usually aligned with a company's financial performance in the long-term, we decided to study its financial indicators more closely to see if they had a hand to play in the recent price move. In this article, we decided to focus on Shanghai CarthaneLtd'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.

Check out our latest analysis for Shanghai CarthaneLtd

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 CarthaneLtd is:

12% = CN¥110m ÷ CN¥908m (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2024).

The 'return' is the yearly profit. That means that for every CN¥1 worth of shareholders' equity, the company generated CN¥0.12 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.

A Side By Side comparison of Shanghai CarthaneLtd's Earnings Growth And 12% ROE

To begin with, Shanghai CarthaneLtd seems to have a respectable ROE. On comparing with the average industry ROE of 8.5% the company's ROE looks pretty remarkable. Yet, Shanghai CarthaneLtd has posted measly growth of 2.4% over the past five years. This is generally not the case as when a company has a high rate of return it should usually also have a high earnings growth rate. We reckon that a low growth, when returns are quite high could be the result of certain circumstances like low earnings retention or poor allocation of capital.

We then compared Shanghai CarthaneLtd's net income growth with the industry and found that the company's growth figure is lower than the average industry growth rate of 9.9% in the same 5-year period, which is a bit concerning.

Earnings growth is a huge factor in stock valuation. 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. One good indicator of expected earnings growth is the P/E ratio which determines the price the market is willing to pay for a stock based on its earnings prospects. So, you may want to check if Shanghai CarthaneLtd is trading on a high P/E or a low P/E, relative to its industry.

Is Shanghai CarthaneLtd Efficiently Re-investing Its Profits?

The high three-year median payout ratio of 75% (that is, the company retains only 25% of its income) over the past three years for Shanghai CarthaneLtd suggests that the company's earnings growth was lower as a result of paying out a majority of its earnings.

Additionally, Shanghai CarthaneLtd has paid dividends over a period of seven years, which means that the company's management is determined to pay dividends even if it means little to no earnings growth.

Summary

Overall, we feel that Shanghai CarthaneLtd certainly does have some positive factors to consider. Although, we are disappointed to see a lack of growth in earnings even in spite of a high ROE. Bear in mind, the company reinvests a small portion of its profits, which means that investors aren't reaping the benefits of the high rate of return. While we won't completely dismiss the company, what we would do, is try to ascertain how risky the business is to make a more informed decision around the company. Our risks dashboard will have the 1 risk we have identified for Shanghai CarthaneLtd.

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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.