Could The Market Be Wrong About Segue Group Co., Ltd. (TSE:3968) Given Its Attractive Financial Prospects?

Segue Group (TSE:3968) has had a rough week with its share price down 12%. However, a closer look at its sound financials might cause you to think again. Given that fundamentals usually drive long-term market outcomes, the company is worth looking at. In this article, we decided to focus on Segue Group'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 other words, it is a profitability ratio which measures the rate of return on the capital provided by the company's shareholders.

View our latest analysis for Segue Group

How To Calculate Return On Equity?

Return on equity 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 Segue Group is:

20% = JP¥696m ÷ JP¥3.5b (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2024).

The 'return' is the income the business earned over the last year. One way to conceptualize this is that for each ¥1 of shareholders' capital it has, the company made ¥0.20 in profit.

What Has ROE Got To Do With Earnings Growth?

So far, we've learned that ROE is a measure of a company's profitability. 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.

Segue Group's Earnings Growth And 20% ROE

At first glance, Segue Group seems to have a decent ROE. Further, the company's ROE compares quite favorably to the industry average of 14%. This certainly adds some context to Segue Group's decent 13% net income growth seen over the past five years.

As a next step, we compared Segue Group's net income growth with the industry and found that the company has a similar growth figure when compared with the industry average growth rate of 13% 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. By doing so, they will have an idea if the stock is headed into clear blue waters or if swampy waters await. Is Segue Group fairly valued compared to other companies? These 3 valuation measures might help you decide.

Is Segue Group Making Efficient Use Of Its Profits?

With a three-year median payout ratio of 48% (implying that the company retains 52% of its profits), it seems that Segue Group is reinvesting efficiently in a way that it sees respectable amount growth in its earnings and pays a dividend that's well covered.

Moreover, Segue Group is determined to keep sharing its profits with shareholders which we infer from its long history of six years of paying a dividend.

Summary

In total, we are pretty happy with Segue Group'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. If the company continues to grow its earnings the way it has, that could have a positive impact on its share price given how earnings per share influence long-term share prices. Let's not forget, business risk is also one of the factors that affects the price of the stock. So this is also an important area that investors need to pay attention to before making a decision on any business. You can see the 2 risks we have identified for Segue Group by visiting our risks dashboard for free on our platform here.

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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.