Space Group Holdings Limited's (HKG:2448) Stock Is Going Strong: Have Financials A Role To Play?

Most readers would already be aware that Space Group Holdings' (HKG:2448) stock increased significantly by 43% over the past three months. Given that stock prices are usually aligned with a company's financial performance in the long-term, we decided to study its financial indicators more closely to see if they had a hand to play in the recent price move. Particularly, we will be paying attention to Space Group 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 short, ROE shows the profit each dollar generates with respect to its shareholder investments.

Check out our latest analysis for Space Group Holdings

How Do You Calculate Return On Equity?

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 Space Group Holdings is:

12% = MO$53m ÷ MO$429m (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2020).

The 'return' is the income the business earned over the last year. That means that for every HK$1 worth of shareholders' equity, the company generated HK$0.12 in profit.

Why Is ROE Important For Earnings Growth?

So far, we've learned that ROE is a measure of a company's profitability. Depending on how much of these profits the company reinvests or "retains", and how effectively it does so, we are then able to assess a company’s earnings growth potential. 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.

Space Group Holdings' Earnings Growth And 12% ROE

At first glance, Space Group Holdings seems to have a decent ROE. Even when compared to the industry average of 10% the company's ROE looks quite decent. Given the circumstances, we can't help but wonder why Space Group Holdings saw little to no growth in the past five years. We reckon that there could be some other factors at play here that's limiting the company's growth. These include low earnings retention or poor allocation of capital.

Next, on comparing with the industry net income growth, we found that Space Group Holdings' reported growth was a little less than the industry growth of0.4% in the same 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. By doing so, they will have an idea if the stock is headed into clear blue waters or if swampy waters await. If you're wondering about Space Group Holdings''s valuation, check out this gauge of its price-to-earnings ratio, as compared to its industry.

Is Space Group Holdings Using Its Retained Earnings Effectively?

Summary

In total, it does look like Space Group Holdings has some positive aspects to its business. Although, we are disappointed to see a lack of growth in earnings even in spite of a high ROE and and a high reinvestment rate. We believe that there might be some outside factors that could be having a negative impact on the business. Until now, we have only just grazed the surface of the company's past performance by looking at the company's fundamentals. To gain further insights into Space Group Holdings' past profit growth, check out this visualization of past earnings, revenue and cash flows.

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. 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.
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