Can Mixed Fundamentals Have A Negative Impact on iMBC Co.,Ltd. (KOSDAQ:052220) Current Share Price Momentum?

iMBCLtd (KOSDAQ:052220) has had a great run on the share market with its stock up by a significant 45% over the last three months. However, we wonder if the company's inconsistent financials would have any adverse impact on the current share price momentum. Specifically, we decided to study iMBCLtd's ROE in this article.

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.

View our latest analysis for iMBCLtd

How To Calculate Return On Equity?

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 iMBCLtd is:

2.1% = ₩1.1b ÷ ₩54b (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 ₩0.02 in profit.

What Is The Relationship Between ROE And Earnings Growth?

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

A Side By Side comparison of iMBCLtd's Earnings Growth And 2.1% ROE

It is hard to argue that iMBCLtd's ROE is much good in and of itself. Not just that, even compared to the industry average of 8.8%, the company's ROE is entirely unremarkable. Given the circumstances, the significant decline in net income by 18% seen by iMBCLtd over the last five years is not surprising. We reckon that there could also be other factors at play here. Such as - low earnings retention or poor allocation of capital.

That being said, we compared iMBCLtd's performance with the industry and were concerned when we found that while the company has shrunk its earnings, the industry has grown its earnings at a rate of 7.4% in the same period.

The basis for attaching value to a company is, to a great extent, tied to its earnings growth. It’s important for an investor to know whether the market has priced in the company's expected earnings growth (or decline). By doing so, they will have an idea if the stock is headed into clear blue waters or if swampy waters await. If you're wondering about iMBCLtd's's valuation, check out this gauge of its price-to-earnings ratio, as compared to its industry.

Is iMBCLtd Making Efficient Use Of Its Profits?

iMBCLtd doesn't pay any dividend, meaning that the company is keeping all of its profits, which makes us wonder why it is retaining its earnings if it can't use them to grow its business. It looks like there might be some other reasons to explain the lack in that respect. For example, the business could be in decline.

Summary

Overall, we have mixed feelings about iMBCLtd. While the company does have a high rate of reinvestment, the low ROE means that all that reinvestment is not reaping any benefit to its investors, and moreover, its having a negative impact on the earnings growth. Wrapping up, we would proceed with caution with this company and one way of doing that would be to look at the risk profile of the business. You can see the 4 risks we have identified for iMBCLtd 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. 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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