Declining Stock and Solid Fundamentals: Is The Market Wrong About Zhenhai Petrochemical Engineering Co., Ltd. (SHSE:603637)?

With its stock down 11% over the past week, it is easy to disregard Zhenhai Petrochemical Engineering (SHSE:603637). 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. Particularly, we will be paying attention to Zhenhai Petrochemical Engineering's ROE today.

Return on Equity or ROE is a test of how effectively a company is growing its value and managing investors’ money. Put another way, it reveals the company's success at turning shareholder investments into profits.

View our latest analysis for Zhenhai Petrochemical Engineering

How To 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 Zhenhai Petrochemical Engineering is:

10% = CN¥100m ÷ CN¥986m (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2024).

The 'return' is the amount earned after tax over the last twelve months. Another way to think of that is that for every CN¥1 worth of equity, the company was able to earn CN¥0.10 in profit.

What Has ROE Got To Do With Earnings Growth?

We have already established that ROE serves as an efficient profit-generating gauge for a company's future earnings. 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.

Zhenhai Petrochemical Engineering's Earnings Growth And 10% ROE

When you first look at it, Zhenhai Petrochemical Engineering's ROE doesn't look that attractive. However, the fact that the its ROE is quite higher to the industry average of 6.9% doesn't go unnoticed by us. This probably goes some way in explaining Zhenhai Petrochemical Engineering's moderate 13% 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. Hence there might be some other aspects that are causing earnings to grow. Such as- high earnings retention or the company belonging to a high growth industry.

As a next step, we compared Zhenhai Petrochemical Engineering's 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 6.6%.

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 Zhenhai Petrochemical Engineering is trading on a high P/E or a low P/E, relative to its industry.

Is Zhenhai Petrochemical Engineering Using Its Retained Earnings Effectively?

Zhenhai Petrochemical Engineering has a three-year median payout ratio of 32%, which implies that it retains the remaining 68% of its profits. This suggests that its dividend is well covered, and given the decent growth seen by the company, it looks like management is reinvesting its earnings efficiently.

Moreover, Zhenhai Petrochemical Engineering is determined to keep sharing its profits with shareholders which we infer from its long history of eight years of paying a dividend.

Conclusion

Overall, we are quite pleased with Zhenhai Petrochemical Engineering's 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. 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. You can see the 1 risk we have identified for Zhenhai Petrochemical Engineering by visiting our risks dashboard for free on our platform here.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.

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.