Are Robust Financials Driving The Recent Rally In Galaxy Surfactants Limited's (NSE:GALAXYSURF) Stock?

Galaxy Surfactants (NSE:GALAXYSURF) has had a great run on the share market with its stock up by a significant 14% over the last three months. Given that the market rewards strong financials in the long-term, we wonder if that is the case in this instance. In this article, we decided to focus on Galaxy Surfactants' ROE.

Return on Equity or ROE is a test of how effectively a company is growing its value and managing investors’ money. Simply put, it is used to assess the profitability of a company in relation to its equity capital.

See our latest analysis for Galaxy Surfactants

How Is ROE Calculated?

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 Galaxy Surfactants is:

24% = ₹2.9b ÷ ₹12b (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2020).

The 'return' is the yearly profit. One way to conceptualize this is that for each ₹1 of shareholders' capital it has, the company made ₹0.24 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. 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. 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.

Galaxy Surfactants' Earnings Growth And 24% ROE

At first glance, Galaxy Surfactants seems to have a decent ROE. Further, the company's ROE compares quite favorably to the industry average of 13%. This probably laid the ground for Galaxy Surfactants' moderate 17% net income growth seen over the past five years.

Next, on comparing with the industry net income growth, we found that Galaxy Surfactants' growth is quite high when compared to the industry average growth of 14% in the same period, which is great to see.

Earnings growth is an important metric to consider when valuing a stock. 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 Galaxy Surfactants is trading on a high P/E or a low P/E, relative to its industry.

Is Galaxy Surfactants Using Its Retained Earnings Effectively?

In Galaxy Surfactants' case, its respectable earnings growth can probably be explained by its low three-year median payout ratio of 17% (or a retention ratio of 83%), which suggests that the company is investing most of its profits to grow its business.

Moreover, Galaxy Surfactants is determined to keep sharing its profits with shareholders which we infer from its long history of three years of paying a dividend. Looking at the current analyst consensus data, we can see that the company's future payout ratio is expected to rise to 22% over the next three years. Regardless, the ROE is not expected to change much for the company despite the higher expected payout ratio.

Summary

On the whole, we feel that Galaxy Surfactants' performance has been quite good. 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. 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.

When trading Galaxy Surfactants or any other investment, use the platform considered by many to be the Professional's Gateway to the Worlds Market, Interactive Brokers. You get the lowest-cost* trading on stocks, options, futures, forex, bonds and funds worldwide from a single integrated account. Promoted

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.
^*Interactive Brokers Rated Lowest Cost Broker by StockBrokers.com Annual Online Review 2020

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.