GSE Co., Ltd.'s (KOSDAQ:053050) Stock On An Uptrend: Could Fundamentals Be Driving The Momentum?

GSE (KOSDAQ:053050) has had a great run on the share market with its stock up by a significant 11% over the last week. Given that stock prices are usually aligned with a company's financial performance in the long-term, we decided to study its financial indicators more closely to see if they had a hand to play in the recent price move. Specifically, we decided to study GSE'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. In simpler terms, it measures the profitability of a company in relation to shareholder's equity.

See our latest analysis for GSE

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 GSE is:

4.3% = ₩4.1b ÷ ₩96b (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2024).

The 'return' is the yearly profit. So, this means that for every ₩1 of its shareholder's investments, the company generates a profit of ₩0.04.

What Has ROE Got To Do With Earnings Growth?

We have already established that ROE serves as an efficient profit-generating gauge for a company's future earnings. 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. Generally speaking, other things being equal, firms with a high return on equity and profit retention, have a higher growth rate than firms that don’t share these attributes.

GSE's Earnings Growth And 4.3% ROE

It is quite clear that GSE's ROE is rather low. Even compared to the average industry ROE of 5.7%, the company's ROE is quite dismal. Although, we can see that GSE saw a modest net income growth of 5.1% over the past five years. We believe that there might be other aspects that are positively influencing the company's earnings growth. For instance, the company has a low payout ratio or is being managed efficiently.

We then performed a comparison between GSE's net income growth with the industry, which revealed that the company's growth is similar to the average industry growth of 4.4% in the same 5-year 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). This then helps them determine if the stock is placed for a bright or bleak future. Is GSE fairly valued compared to other companies? These 3 valuation measures might help you decide.

Is GSE Making Efficient Use Of Its Profits?

Summary

In total, it does look like GSE has some positive aspects to its business. 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. You can see the 2 risks we have identified for GSE 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.