S-1 Corporation (KRX:012750) Stock's On A Decline: Are Poor Fundamentals The Cause?

It is hard to get excited after looking at S-1's (KRX:012750) recent performance, when its stock has declined 9.4% over the past three months. To decide if this trend could continue, we decided to look at its weak fundamentals as they shape the long-term market trends. Specifically, we decided to study S-1's ROE in this article.

Return on Equity or ROE is a test of how effectively a company is growing its value and managing investors’ money. In short, ROE shows the profit each dollar generates with respect to its shareholder investments.

Check out our latest analysis for S-1

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 S-1 is:

11% = ₩148b ÷ ₩1.3t (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2020).

The 'return' refers to a company's earnings over the last year. Another way to think of that is that for every ₩1 worth of equity, the company was able to earn ₩0.11 in profit.

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. 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.

S-1's Earnings Growth And 11% ROE

At first glance, S-1's ROE doesn't look very promising. Yet, a closer study shows that the company's ROE is similar to the industry average of 11%. However, S-1 has seen a flattish net income growth over the past five years, which is not saying much. Bear in mind, the company's ROE is not very high. So that could also be one of the reasons behind the company's flat growth in earnings.

We then compared S-1's net income growth with the industry and found that the company's growth figure is lower than the average industry growth rate of 16% in the same period, which is a bit concerning.

The basis for attaching value to a company is, to a great extent, tied to its earnings growth. What investors need to determine next is if the expected earnings growth, or the lack of it, is already built into the share price. This then helps them determine if the stock is placed for a bright or bleak future. Is A012750 fairly valued? This infographic on the company's intrinsic value has everything you need to know.

Is S-1 Making Efficient Use Of Its Profits?

With a high three-year median payout ratio of 58% (implying that the company keeps only 42% of its income) of its business to reinvest into its business), most of S-1's profits are being paid to shareholders, which explains the absence of growth in earnings.

In addition, S-1 has been paying dividends over a period of at least ten years suggesting that keeping up dividend payments is way more important to the management even if it comes at the cost of business growth. Based on the latest analysts' estimates, we found that the company's future payout ratio over the next three years is expected to hold steady at 59%. As a result, S-1's ROE is not expected to change by much either, which we inferred from the analyst estimate of 12% for future ROE.

Conclusion

On the whole, S-1's performance is quite a big let-down. Because the company is not reinvesting much into the business, and given the low ROE, it's not surprising to see the lack or absence of growth in its earnings. Having said that, looking at the current analyst estimates, we found that the company's earnings are expected to gain momentum. To know more about the latest analysts predictions for the company, check out this visualization of analyst forecasts 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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