Is Weakness In Intron Technology Holdings Limited (HKG:1760) Stock A Sign That The Market Could be Wrong Given Its Strong Financial Prospects?

Intron Technology Holdings (HKG:1760) has had a rough three months with its share price down 24%. But if you pay close attention, you might gather that its strong financials could mean that the stock could potentially see an increase in value in the long-term, given how markets usually reward companies with good financial health. Particularly, we will be paying attention to Intron Technology Holdings' ROE today.

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. In simpler terms, it measures the profitability of a company in relation to shareholder's equity.

View our latest analysis for Intron Technology Holdings

How To Calculate Return On Equity?

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 Intron Technology Holdings is:

19% = CN¥412m ÷ CN¥2.2b (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2023).

The 'return' is the amount earned after tax over the last twelve months. Another way to think of that is that for every HK$1 worth of equity, the company was able to earn HK$0.19 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. 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.

Intron Technology Holdings' Earnings Growth And 19% ROE

To start with, Intron Technology Holdings' ROE looks acceptable. Further, the company's ROE compares quite favorably to the industry average of 7.9%. Probably as a result of this, Intron Technology Holdings was able to see an impressive net income growth of 27% over the last five years. We believe that there might also be other aspects that are positively influencing the company's earnings growth. For instance, the company has a low payout ratio or is being managed efficiently.

Next, on comparing with the industry net income growth, we found that Intron Technology Holdings' growth is quite high when compared to the industry average growth of 1.8% 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. Has the market priced in the future outlook for 1760? You can find out in our latest intrinsic value infographic research report.

Is Intron Technology Holdings Using Its Retained Earnings Effectively?

The three-year median payout ratio for Intron Technology Holdings is 29%, which is moderately low. The company is retaining the remaining 71%. So it seems that Intron Technology Holdings is reinvesting efficiently in a way that it sees impressive growth in its earnings (discussed above) and pays a dividend that's well covered.

Moreover, Intron Technology Holdings is determined to keep sharing its profits with shareholders which we infer from its long history of five years of paying a dividend. Our latest analyst data shows that the future payout ratio of the company over the next three years is expected to be approximately 30%. As a result, Intron Technology Holdings' ROE is not expected to change by much either, which we inferred from the analyst estimate of 22% for future ROE.

Conclusion

Overall, we are quite pleased with Intron Technology Holdings' performance. In particular, it's great to see that the company is investing heavily into its business and along with a high rate of return, that has resulted in a sizeable growth in its earnings. 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. 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.