Is Honeywell Automation India Limited's (NSE:HONAUT) Latest Stock Performance A Reflection Of Its Financial Health?

Honeywell Automation India (NSE:HONAUT) has had a great run on the share market with its stock up by a significant 12% over the last month. 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 Honeywell Automation India's 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. Simply put, it is used to assess the profitability of a company in relation to its equity capital.

See our latest analysis for Honeywell Automation India

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 Honeywell Automation India is:

18% = ₹4.5b ÷ ₹26b (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2021).

The 'return' is the profit over the last twelve months. So, this means that for every ₹1 of its shareholder's investments, the company generates a profit of ₹0.18.

What Is The Relationship Between ROE And 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 all else is equal, companies that have both a higher return on equity and higher profit retention are usually the ones that have a higher growth rate when compared to companies that don't have the same features.

Honeywell Automation India's Earnings Growth And 18% ROE

To begin with, Honeywell Automation India seems to have a respectable ROE. On comparing with the average industry ROE of 8.2% the company's ROE looks pretty remarkable. This certainly adds some context to Honeywell Automation India's exceptional 24% net income growth seen over the past five years. However, there could also be other causes behind 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 Honeywell Automation India'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 5.4% in the same 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. If you're wondering about Honeywell Automation India's's valuation, check out this gauge of its price-to-earnings ratio, as compared to its industry.

Is Honeywell Automation India Using Its Retained Earnings Effectively?

Honeywell Automation India's three-year median payout ratio to shareholders is 13%, which is quite low. This implies that the company is retaining 87% of its profits. So it looks like Honeywell Automation India is reinvesting profits heavily to grow its business, which shows in its earnings growth.

Besides, Honeywell Automation India has been paying dividends for at least ten years or more. This shows that the company is committed to sharing profits with its shareholders.

Summary

Overall, we are quite pleased with Honeywell Automation India's performance. Particularly, we like that the company is reinvesting heavily into its business, and at a high rate of return. Unsurprisingly, this has led to an impressive earnings growth. We also studied the latest analyst forecasts and found that the company's earnings growth is expected be similar to its current growth rate. To know more about the latest analysts predictions for the company, check out this visualization of analyst forecasts for the company.

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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