Jiangsu SOPO Chemical Co. Ltd.'s (SHSE:600746) Stock Is Going Strong: Have Financials A Role To Play?

Jiangsu SOPO Chemical (SHSE:600746) has had a great run on the share market with its stock up by a significant 13% over the last three months. 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. Particularly, we will be paying attention to Jiangsu SOPO Chemical's ROE today.

Return on Equity or ROE is a test of how effectively a company is growing its value and managing investors’ money. In short, ROE shows the profit each dollar generates with respect to its shareholder investments.

Check out our latest analysis for Jiangsu SOPO Chemical

How Do You 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 Jiangsu SOPO Chemical is:

2.9% = CN¥153m ÷ CN¥5.2b (Based on the trailing twelve months to March 2024).

The 'return' refers to a company's earnings over the last year. So, this means that for every CN¥1 of its shareholder's investments, the company generates a profit of CN¥0.03.

What Is The Relationship Between ROE And Earnings Growth?

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

Jiangsu SOPO Chemical's Earnings Growth And 2.9% ROE

As you can see, Jiangsu SOPO Chemical's ROE looks pretty weak. Even compared to the average industry ROE of 6.3%, the company's ROE is quite dismal. Although, we can see that Jiangsu SOPO Chemical saw a modest net income growth of 7.2% over the past five years. Therefore, the growth in earnings could probably have been caused by other variables. For example, it is possible that the company's management has made some good strategic decisions, or that the company has a low payout ratio.

We then performed a comparison between Jiangsu SOPO Chemical's net income growth with the industry, which revealed that the company's growth is similar to the average industry growth of 8.0% in the same 5-year period.

Earnings growth is a huge factor in stock valuation. The investor should try to establish if the expected growth or decline in earnings, whichever the case may be, is priced in. Doing so will help them establish if the stock's future looks promising or ominous. If you're wondering about Jiangsu SOPO Chemical's's valuation, check out this gauge of its price-to-earnings ratio, as compared to its industry.

Is Jiangsu SOPO Chemical Making Efficient Use Of Its Profits?

While the company did pay out a portion of its dividend in the past, it currently doesn't pay a regular dividend. We infer that the company has been reinvesting all of its profits to grow its business.

Summary

On the whole, we do feel that Jiangsu SOPO Chemical has some positive attributes. With a high rate of reinvestment, albeit at a low ROE, the company has managed to see a considerable growth in its earnings.

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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.