- Hong Kong
- Entertainment
- SEHK:1970
IMAX China Holding, Inc.'s (HKG:1970) Stock On An Uptrend: Could Fundamentals Be Driving The Momentum?
- Published
- November 12, 2021
IMAX China Holding's (HKG:1970) stock is up by a considerable 16% over the past three months. As most would know, fundamentals are what usually guide market price movements over the long-term, so we decided to look at the company's key financial indicators today to determine if they have any role to play in the recent price movement. Particularly, we will be paying attention to IMAX China Holding's ROE today.
Return on equity or ROE is a key measure used to assess how efficiently a company's management is utilizing the company's capital. Simply put, it is used to assess the profitability of a company in relation to its equity capital.
Check out our latest analysis for IMAX China Holding
How Do You 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 IMAX China Holding is:
11% = US$28m ÷ US$251m (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2021).
The 'return' is the amount earned after tax over the last twelve months. So, this means that for every HK$1 of its shareholder's investments, the company generates a profit of HK$0.11.
What Has ROE Got To Do With Earnings Growth?
Thus far, we have learned that ROE measures how efficiently a company is generating its profits. 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. Assuming everything else remains unchanged, the higher the ROE and profit retention, the higher the growth rate of a company compared to companies that don't necessarily bear these characteristics.
IMAX China Holding's Earnings Growth And 11% ROE
To start with, IMAX China Holding's ROE looks acceptable. And on comparing with the industry, we found that the the average industry ROE is similar at 11%. Despite the modest returns, IMAX China Holding's five year net income growth was quite low, averaging at only 2.3%. A few likely reasons that could be keeping earnings growth low are - the company has a high payout ratio or the business has allocated capital poorly, for instance.
Next, on comparing with the industry net income growth, we found that IMAX China Holding's reported growth was lower than the industry growth of 29% in the same period, which is not something we like 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. This then helps them determine if the stock is placed for a bright or bleak future. Has the market priced in the future outlook for 1970? You can find out in our latest intrinsic value infographic research report.
Is IMAX China Holding Making Efficient Use Of Its Profits?
While IMAX China Holding has a decent three-year median payout ratio of 33% (or a retention ratio of 67%), it has seen very little growth in earnings. So there could be some other explanation in that regard. For instance, the company's business may be deteriorating.
In addition, IMAX China Holding has been paying dividends over a period of four years suggesting that keeping up dividend payments is way more important to the management even if it comes at the cost of business growth.
Summary
On the whole, we do feel that IMAX China Holding has some positive attributes. 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. With that said, the latest industry analyst forecasts reveal that the company's earnings are expected to accelerate. To know more about the company's future earnings growth forecasts take a look at this free report on analyst forecasts for the company to find out more.
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.
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