Do Its Financials Have Any Role To Play In Driving Openbase, Inc.'s (KOSDAQ:049480) Stock Up Recently?

Most readers would already be aware that Openbase's (KOSDAQ:049480) stock increased significantly by 18% 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 Openbase'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.

See our latest analysis for Openbase

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 Openbase is:

3.2% = ₩2.9b ÷ ₩90b (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2024).

The 'return' is the yearly profit. That means that for every ₩1 worth of shareholders' equity, the company generated ₩0.03 in profit.

Why Is ROE Important For 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.

A Side By Side comparison of Openbase's Earnings Growth And 3.2% ROE

It is quite clear that Openbase's ROE is rather low. Even compared to the average industry ROE of 6.6%, the company's ROE is quite dismal. However, we we're pleasantly surprised to see that Openbase grew its net income at a significant rate of 22% in the last five years. Therefore, there could be other reasons behind 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.

Next, on comparing with the industry net income growth, we found that Openbase's growth is quite high when compared to the industry average growth of 10% in the same period, which is great to see.

Earnings growth is an important metric to consider when valuing a stock. 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. If you're wondering about Openbase's's valuation, check out this gauge of its price-to-earnings ratio, as compared to its industry.

Is Openbase Making Efficient Use Of Its Profits?

Openbase's three-year median payout ratio to shareholders is 9.5%, which is quite low. This implies that the company is retaining 90% of its profits. This suggests that the management is reinvesting most of the profits to grow the business as evidenced by the growth seen by the company.

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

Summary

On the whole, we do feel that Openbase has some positive attributes. With a high rate of reinvestment, albeit at a low ROE, the company has managed to see a considerable growth in its earnings. While we won't completely dismiss the company, what we would do, is try to ascertain how risky the business is to make a more informed decision around the company. Our risks dashboard would have the 2 risks we have identified for Openbase.

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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.