Is Nanjing Hanrui Cobalt Co.,Ltd.'s (SZSE:300618) Recent Price Movement Underpinned By Its Weak Fundamentals?

With its stock down 18% over the past three months, it is easy to disregard Nanjing Hanrui CobaltLtd (SZSE:300618). We, however decided to study the company's financials to determine if they have got anything to do with the price decline. Stock prices are usually driven by a company’s financial performance over the long term, and therefore we decided to pay more attention to the company's financial performance. Specifically, we decided to study Nanjing Hanrui CobaltLtd's ROE in this article.

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.

See our latest analysis for Nanjing Hanrui CobaltLtd

How Do You Calculate Return On Equity?

The formula for ROE is:

Return on Equity = Net Profit (from continuing operations) ÷ Shareholders' Equity

So, based on the above formula, the ROE for Nanjing Hanrui CobaltLtd is:

3.3% = CN¥176m ÷ CN¥5.3b (Based on the trailing twelve months to March 2024).

The 'return' refers to a company's earnings over the last year. One way to conceptualize this is that for each CN¥1 of shareholders' capital it has, the company made CN¥0.03 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.

A Side By Side comparison of Nanjing Hanrui CobaltLtd's Earnings Growth And 3.3% ROE

It is hard to argue that Nanjing Hanrui CobaltLtd's ROE is much good in and of itself. Even compared to the average industry ROE of 7.4%, the company's ROE is quite dismal. As a result, Nanjing Hanrui CobaltLtd's flat earnings over the past five years doesn't come as a surprise given its lower ROE.

We then compared Nanjing Hanrui CobaltLtd's net income growth with the industry and found that the company's growth figure is lower than the average industry growth rate of 12% in the same 5-year period, which is a bit concerning.

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). Doing so will help them establish if the stock's future looks promising or ominous. 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 Nanjing Hanrui CobaltLtd is trading on a high P/E or a low P/E, relative to its industry.

Is Nanjing Hanrui CobaltLtd Making Efficient Use Of Its Profits?

Nanjing Hanrui CobaltLtd's low three-year median payout ratio of 21% (implying that the company keeps79% of its income) should mean that the company is retaining most of its earnings to fuel its growth and this should be reflected in its growth number, but that's not the case.

Moreover, Nanjing Hanrui CobaltLtd has been paying dividends for six years, which is a considerable amount of time, suggesting that management must have perceived that the shareholders prefer dividends over earnings growth.

Summary

Overall, we have mixed feelings about Nanjing Hanrui CobaltLtd. Even though it appears to be retaining most of its profits, given the low ROE, investors may not be benefitting from all that reinvestment after all. The low earnings growth suggests our theory correct. With that said, the latest industry analyst forecasts reveal that the company's earnings are expected to accelerate. Are these analysts expectations based on the broad expectations for the industry, or on the company's fundamentals? Click here to be taken to our analyst's forecasts page 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.

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