Are Valmet Oyj's (HEL:VALMT) Fundamentals Good Enough to Warrant Buying Given The Stock's Recent Weakness?

Valmet Oyj (HEL:VALMT) has had a rough month with its share price down 18%. However, stock prices are usually driven by a company’s financials over the long term, which in this case look pretty respectable. In this article, we decided to focus on Valmet Oyj's ROE.

ROE or return on equity is a useful tool to assess how effectively a company can generate returns on the investment it received from its shareholders. Simply put, it is used to assess the profitability of a company in relation to its equity capital.

Check out our latest analysis for Valmet Oyj

How Is ROE Calculated?

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 Valmet Oyj is:

12% = €304m ÷ €2.4b (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2024).

The 'return' is the amount earned after tax over the last twelve months. That means that for every €1 worth of shareholders' equity, the company generated €0.12 in profit.

Why Is ROE Important For Earnings Growth?

Thus far, we have learned that ROE measures how efficiently a company is generating its profits. 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 all else is equal, companies that have both a higher return on equity and higher profit retention are usually the ones that have a higher growth rate when compared to companies that don't have the same features.

Valmet Oyj's Earnings Growth And 12% ROE

To begin with, Valmet Oyj seems to have a respectable ROE. Be that as it may, the company's ROE is still quite lower than the industry average of 16%. However, the moderate 14% net income growth seen by Valmet Oyj over the past five years is definitely a positive. Therefore, the growth in earnings could probably have been caused by other variables. For instance, the company has a low payout ratio or is being managed efficiently. Bear in mind, the company does have a respectable level of ROE. It is just that the industry ROE is higher. So this also provides some context to the earnings growth seen by the company.

We then performed a comparison between Valmet Oyj's net income growth with the industry, which revealed that the company's growth is similar to the average industry growth of 14% in the same 5-year period.

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. Is Valmet Oyj fairly valued compared to other companies? These 3 valuation measures might help you decide.

Is Valmet Oyj Making Efficient Use Of Its Profits?

The high three-year median payout ratio of 64% (or a retention ratio of 36%) for Valmet Oyj suggests that the company's growth wasn't really hampered despite it returning most of its income to its shareholders.

Moreover, Valmet Oyj 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. Based on the latest analysts' estimates, we found that the company's future payout ratio over the next three years is expected to hold steady at 59%. Therefore, the company's future ROE is also not expected to change by much with analysts predicting an ROE of 15%.

Summary

In total, it does look like Valmet Oyj has some positive aspects to its business. 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. We also studied the latest analyst forecasts and found that the company's earnings growth is expected be similar to its current growth rate. 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.