IWS Group Holdings Limited's (HKG:8441) Stock's On An Uptrend: Are Strong Financials Guiding The Market?

Most readers would already be aware that IWS Group Holdings' (HKG:8441) stock increased significantly by 29% over the past month. Since the market usually pay for a company’s long-term fundamentals, we decided to study the company’s key performance indicators to see if they could be influencing the market. In this article, we decided to focus on IWS Group Holdings' ROE.

Return on equity or ROE is an important factor to be considered by a shareholder because it tells them how effectively their capital is being reinvested. In simpler terms, it measures the profitability of a company in relation to shareholder's equity.

Check out our latest analysis for IWS Group Holdings

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 IWS Group Holdings is:

29% = HK$52m ÷ HK$183m (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2020).

The 'return' is the yearly profit. One way to conceptualize this is that for each HK$1 of shareholders' capital it has, the company made HK$0.29 in profit.

What Has ROE Got To Do With 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.

IWS Group Holdings' Earnings Growth And 29% ROE

To begin with, IWS Group Holdings has a pretty high ROE which is interesting. Secondly, even when compared to the industry average of 10% the company's ROE is quite impressive. So, the substantial 46% net income growth seen by IWS Group Holdings over the past five years isn't overly surprising.

Next, on comparing with the industry net income growth, we found that IWS Group Holdings' growth is quite high when compared to the industry average growth of 13% 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. 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. Is IWS Group Holdings fairly valued compared to other companies? These 3 valuation measures might help you decide.

Is IWS Group Holdings Making Efficient Use Of Its Profits?

IWS Group Holdings has a three-year median payout ratio of 28% (where it is retaining 72% of its income) which is not too low or not too high. By the looks of it, the dividend is well covered and IWS Group Holdings is reinvesting its profits efficiently as evidenced by its exceptional growth which we discussed above.

Summary

On the whole, we feel that IWS Group Holdings' performance has been quite good. Specifically, we like that the company is reinvesting a huge chunk of its profits at a high rate of return. This of course has caused the company to see substantial growth in its earnings. If the company continues to grow its earnings the way it has, that could have a positive impact on its share price given how earnings per share influence long-term share prices. Not to forget, share price outcomes are also dependent on the potential risks a company may face. So it is important for investors to be aware of the risks involved in the business. Our risks dashboard would have the 3 risks we have identified for IWS Group Holdings.

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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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