Do Its Financials Have Any Role To Play In Driving Shibaura Electronics Co.,Ltd.'s (TYO:6957) Stock Up Recently?

Shibaura ElectronicsLtd's (TYO:6957) stock is up by a considerable 39% 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 Shibaura ElectronicsLtd'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. Simply put, it is used to assess the profitability of a company in relation to its equity capital.

Check out our latest analysis for Shibaura ElectronicsLtd

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 Shibaura ElectronicsLtd is:

6.2% = JP¥1.5b ÷ JP¥24b (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2020).

The 'return' is the profit over the last twelve months. That means that for every ¥1 worth of shareholders' equity, the company generated ¥0.06 in profit.

What Has ROE Got To Do With Earnings Growth?

Thus far, we have learned that ROE measures how efficiently a company is generating its profits. 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. 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.

Shibaura ElectronicsLtd's Earnings Growth And 6.2% ROE

On the face of it, Shibaura ElectronicsLtd's ROE is not much to talk about. Yet, a closer study shows that the company's ROE is similar to the industry average of 5.9%. Having said that, Shibaura ElectronicsLtd has shown a modest net income growth of 6.0% over the past five years. 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 Shibaura ElectronicsLtd's net income growth with the industry and found that the company's growth figure is lower than the average industry growth rate of 8.2% in the same period, which is a bit concerning.

Earnings growth is a huge factor in stock valuation. What investors need to determine next is if the expected earnings growth, or the lack of it, is already built into the share price. By doing so, they will have an idea if the stock is headed into clear blue waters or if swampy waters await. Is 6957 fairly valued? This infographic on the company's intrinsic value has everything you need to know.

Is Shibaura ElectronicsLtd Efficiently Re-investing Its Profits?

Shibaura ElectronicsLtd has a three-year median payout ratio of 28%, which implies that it retains the remaining 72% of its profits. This suggests that its dividend is well covered, and given the decent growth seen by the company, it looks like management is reinvesting its earnings efficiently.

Additionally, Shibaura ElectronicsLtd has paid dividends over a period of at least ten years which means that the company is pretty serious about sharing its profits with shareholders.

Conclusion

On the whole, we do feel that Shibaura ElectronicsLtd has some positive attributes. Specifically, its fairly high earnings growth number, which no doubt was backed by the company's high earnings retention. Still, the low ROE means that all that reinvestment is not reaping a lot of benefit to the investors. Having said that, looking at the current analyst estimates, we found that the company's earnings are expected to gain momentum. Are these analysts expectations based on the broad expectations for the industry, or on the company's fundamentals? Click here to be taken to our analyst's forecasts page for the company.

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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.
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