Shandong Sunway Chemical Group Co., Ltd.'s (SZSE:002469) Stock Is Going Strong: Have Financials A Role To Play?

Most readers would already be aware that Shandong Sunway Chemical Group's (SZSE:002469) stock increased significantly by 15% over the past month. We wonder if and what role the company's financials play in that price change as a company's long-term fundamentals usually dictate market outcomes. In this article, we decided to focus on Shandong Sunway Chemical Group's ROE.

Return on Equity or ROE is a test of how effectively a company is growing its value and managing investors’ money. In other words, it is a profitability ratio which measures the rate of return on the capital provided by the company's shareholders.

See our latest analysis for Shandong Sunway Chemical Group

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 Shandong Sunway Chemical Group is:

8.5% = CN¥233m ÷ CN¥2.8b (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2024).

The 'return' is the yearly profit. One way to conceptualize this is that for each CN¥1 of shareholders' capital it has, the company made CN¥0.08 in profit.

What Is The Relationship Between ROE And Earnings Growth?

Thus far, we have learned that ROE measures how efficiently a company is generating its profits. Based on how much of its profits the company chooses to reinvest or "retain", we are then able to evaluate a company's future ability to generate profits. Generally speaking, other things being equal, firms with a high return on equity and profit retention, have a higher growth rate than firms that don’t share these attributes.

Shandong Sunway Chemical Group's Earnings Growth And 8.5% ROE

When you first look at it, Shandong Sunway Chemical Group's ROE doesn't look that attractive. However, the fact that the its ROE is quite higher to the industry average of 6.3% doesn't go unnoticed by us. This certainly adds some context to Shandong Sunway Chemical Group's moderate 9.9% net income growth seen over the past five years. That being said, the company does have a slightly low ROE to begin with, just that it is higher than the industry average. So there might well be other reasons for the earnings to grow. For example, it is possible that the broader industry is going through a high growth phase, or that the company has a low payout ratio.

Next, on comparing Shandong Sunway Chemical Group's net income growth with the industry, we found that the company's reported growth is similar to the industry average growth rate of 11% 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). By doing so, they will have an idea if the stock is headed into clear blue waters or if swampy waters await. If you're wondering about Shandong Sunway Chemical Group's's valuation, check out this gauge of its price-to-earnings ratio, as compared to its industry.

Is Shandong Sunway Chemical Group Using Its Retained Earnings Effectively?

Shandong Sunway Chemical Group has a significant three-year median payout ratio of 60%, meaning that it is left with only 40% to reinvest into its business. This implies that the company has been able to achieve decent earnings growth despite returning most of its profits to shareholders.

Moreover, Shandong Sunway Chemical Group is determined to keep sharing its profits with shareholders which we infer from its long history of paying a dividend for at least ten years. Upon studying the latest analysts' consensus data, we found that the company's future payout ratio is expected to drop to 18% over the next three years. The fact that the company's ROE is expected to rise to 12% over the same period is explained by the drop in the payout ratio.

Conclusion

On the whole, we do feel that Shandong Sunway Chemical Group has some positive attributes. Namely, its significant earnings growth, to which its moderate rate of return likely contributed. While the company is paying out most of its earnings as dividends, it has been able to grow its earnings in spite of it, so that's probably a good sign. With that said, the latest industry analyst forecasts reveal that the company's earnings are expected to accelerate. 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.