Max Healthcare Institute Limited's (NSE:MAXHEALTH) Stock Is Going Strong: Have Financials A Role To Play?

Most readers would already be aware that Max Healthcare Institute's (NSE:MAXHEALTH) stock increased significantly by 11% 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. In this article, we decided to focus on Max Healthcare Institute's ROE.

Return on equity or ROE is a key measure used to assess how efficiently a company's management is utilizing the company's capital. In short, ROE shows the profit each dollar generates with respect to its shareholder investments.

Check out our latest analysis for Max Healthcare Institute

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 Max Healthcare Institute is:

13% = ₹9.9b ÷ ₹78b (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2023).

The 'return' refers to a company's earnings over the last year. Another way to think of that is that for every ₹1 worth of equity, the company was able to earn ₹0.13 in profit.

Why Is ROE Important For Earnings Growth?

We have already established that ROE serves as an efficient profit-generating gauge for a company's future earnings. 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.

Max Healthcare Institute's Earnings Growth And 13% ROE

On the face of it, Max Healthcare Institute's ROE is not much to talk about. However, its ROE is similar to the industry average of 13%, so we won't completely dismiss the company. Looking at Max Healthcare Institute's exceptional 67% five-year net income growth in particular, we are definitely impressed. Given the slightly low ROE, it is likely that there could be some other aspects that are driving this growth. For example, it is possible that the company's management has made some good strategic decisions, or that the company has a low payout ratio.

We then compared Max Healthcare Institute's net income growth with the industry and we're pleased to see that the company's growth figure is higher when compared with the industry which has a growth rate of 30% in the same 5-year period.

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. One good indicator of expected earnings growth is the P/E ratio which determines the price the market is willing to pay for a stock based on its earnings prospects. So, you may want to check if Max Healthcare Institute is trading on a high P/E or a low P/E, relative to its industry.

Is Max Healthcare Institute Making Efficient Use Of Its Profits?

Max Healthcare Institute has a really low three-year median payout ratio of 8.8%, meaning that it has the remaining 91% left over to reinvest into its business. This suggests that the management is reinvesting most of the profits to grow the business as evidenced by the growth seen by the company.

Our latest analyst data shows that the future payout ratio of the company over the next three years is expected to be approximately 7.9%. However, Max Healthcare Institute's ROE is predicted to rise to 15% despite there being no anticipated change in its payout ratio.

Conclusion

In total, it does look like Max Healthcare Institute has some positive aspects to its business. Despite its low rate of return, the fact that the company reinvests a very high portion of its profits into its business, no doubt contributed to its high earnings growth. With that said, the latest industry analyst forecasts reveal that the company's earnings growth is expected to slow down. 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.

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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.