Shandong Nanshan Aluminium Co.,Ltd.'s (SHSE:600219) Stock Has Been Sliding But Fundamentals Look Strong: Is The Market Wrong?

It is hard to get excited after looking at Shandong Nanshan AluminiumLtd's (SHSE:600219) recent performance, when its stock has declined 11% over the past three months. However, stock prices are usually driven by a company’s financial performance over the long term, which in this case looks quite promising. Particularly, we will be paying attention to Shandong Nanshan AluminiumLtd'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 Shandong Nanshan AluminiumLtd

How To Calculate Return On Equity?

Return on equity 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 Nanshan AluminiumLtd is:

10% = CN¥5.8b ÷ CN¥56b (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2024).

The 'return' refers to a company's earnings over the last year. That means that for every CN¥1 worth of shareholders' equity, the company generated CN¥0.10 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. 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 Shandong Nanshan AluminiumLtd's Earnings Growth And 10% ROE

On the face of it, Shandong Nanshan AluminiumLtd's ROE is not much to talk about. Although a closer study shows that the company's ROE is higher than the industry average of 7.5% which we definitely can't overlook. This certainly adds some context to Shandong Nanshan AluminiumLtd's moderate 19% 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. E.g the company has a low payout ratio or could belong to a high growth industry.

Next, on comparing with the industry net income growth, we found that Shandong Nanshan AluminiumLtd's growth is quite high when compared to the industry average growth of 9.8% in the same period, which is great to see.

The basis for attaching value to a company is, to a great extent, tied to its earnings growth. What investors need to determine next is if the expected earnings growth, or the lack of it, is already built into the share price. 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 Shandong Nanshan AluminiumLtd is trading on a high P/E or a low P/E, relative to its industry.

Is Shandong Nanshan AluminiumLtd Making Efficient Use Of Its Profits?

In Shandong Nanshan AluminiumLtd's case, its respectable earnings growth can probably be explained by its low three-year median payout ratio of 20% (or a retention ratio of 80%), which suggests that the company is investing most of its profits to grow its business.

Moreover, Shandong Nanshan AluminiumLtd 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. Our latest analyst data shows that the future payout ratio of the company over the next three years is expected to be approximately 19%. Therefore, the company's future ROE is also not expected to change by much with analysts predicting an ROE of 9.0%.

Conclusion

In total, we are pretty happy with Shandong Nanshan AluminiumLtd'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. That being so, a study of the latest analyst forecasts show that the company is expected to see a slowdown in its future earnings growth. 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.