Can Smile Holdings Inc.'s (TSE:7084) Weak Financials Pull The Plug On The Stock's Current Momentum On Its Share Price?

Smile Holdings' (TSE:7084) stock is up by a considerable 40% over the past three months. However, in this article, we decided to focus on its weak fundamentals, as long-term financial performance of a business is what ultimately dictates market outcomes. In this article, we decided to focus on Smile Holdings' 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 other words, it is a profitability ratio which measures the rate of return on the capital provided by the company's shareholders.

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How To Calculate Return On Equity?

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 Smile Holdings is:

3.8% = JP¥237m ÷ JP¥6.3b (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2025).

The 'return' is the yearly profit. So, this means that for every ¥1 of its shareholder's investments, the company generates a profit of ¥0.04.

View our latest analysis for Smile Holdings

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. 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.

Smile Holdings' Earnings Growth And 3.8% ROE

On the face of it, Smile Holdings' ROE is not much to talk about. Next, when compared to the average industry ROE of 12%, the company's ROE leaves us feeling even less enthusiastic. Given the circumstances, the significant decline in net income by 42% seen by Smile Holdings over the last five years is not surprising. We reckon that there could also be other factors at play here. For example, it is possible that the business has allocated capital poorly or that the company has a very high payout ratio.

So, as a next step, we compared Smile Holdings' performance against the industry and were disappointed to discover that while the company has been shrinking its earnings, the industry has been growing its earnings at a rate of 18% over the last few years.

Earnings growth is an important metric to consider when valuing a stock. It’s important for an investor to know whether the market has priced in the company's expected earnings growth (or decline). This then helps them determine if the stock is placed for a bright or bleak future. Is Smile Holdings fairly valued compared to other companies? These 3 valuation measures might help you decide.

Is Smile Holdings Making Efficient Use Of Its Profits?

Smile Holdings' high three-year median payout ratio of 166% suggests that the company is depleting its resources to keep up its dividend payments, and this shows in its shrinking earnings. Its usually very hard to sustain dividend payments that are higher than reported profits. Our risks dashboard should have the 3 risks we have identified for Smile Holdings.

Conclusion

In total, we would have a hard think before deciding on any investment action concerning Smile Holdings. The low ROE, combined with the fact that the company is paying out almost if not all, of its profits as dividends, has resulted in the lack or absence of growth in its earnings. So far, we've only made a quick discussion around the company's earnings growth. You can do your own research on Smile Holdings and see how it has performed in the past by looking at this FREE detailed graph of past earnings, revenue and cash flows.

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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.