Are Robust Financials Driving The Recent Rally In Pekabex S.A.'s (WSE:PBX) Stock?

Pekabex (WSE:PBX) has had a great run on the share market with its stock up by a significant 24% over the last three months. Given the company's impressive performance, we decided to study its financial indicators more closely as a company's financial health over the long-term usually dictates market outcomes. Particularly, we will be paying attention to Pekabex's ROE today.

ROE or return on equity is a useful tool to assess how effectively a company can generate returns on the investment it received from its shareholders. Put another way, it reveals the company's success at turning shareholder investments into profits.

See our latest analysis for Pekabex

How To Calculate Return On Equity?

The formula for return on equity is:

Return on Equity = Net Profit (from continuing operations) ÷ Shareholders' Equity

So, based on the above formula, the ROE for Pekabex is:

16% = zł58m ÷ zł362m (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2020).

The 'return' is the income the business earned over the last year. So, this means that for every PLN1 of its shareholder's investments, the company generates a profit of PLN0.16.

What Is The Relationship Between ROE And Earnings Growth?

We have already established that ROE serves as an efficient profit-generating gauge for a company's future earnings. Depending on how much of these profits the company reinvests or "retains", and how effectively it does so, we are then able to assess a company’s earnings growth potential. 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.

Pekabex's Earnings Growth And 16% ROE

To begin with, Pekabex seems to have a respectable ROE. Further, the company's ROE compares quite favorably to the industry average of 13%. Probably as a result of this, Pekabex was able to see a decent growth of 14% over the last five years.

Next, on comparing with the industry net income growth, we found that Pekabex's reported growth was lower than the industry growth of 23% in the same period, which is not something we like to see.

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 Pekabex fairly valued compared to other companies? These 3 valuation measures might help you decide.

Is Pekabex Making Efficient Use Of Its Profits?

In Pekabex's case, its respectable earnings growth can probably be explained by its low three-year median payout ratio of 13% (or a retention ratio of 87%), which suggests that the company is investing most of its profits to grow its business.

Besides, Pekabex has been paying dividends over a period of five years. This shows that the company is committed to sharing profits with its shareholders.

Conclusion

On the whole, we feel that Pekabex's performance has been quite good. Particularly, we like that the company is reinvesting heavily into its business, and at a high rate of return. As a result, the decent growth in its earnings is not surprising. If the company continues to grow its earnings the way it has, that could have a positive impact on its share price given how earnings per share influence long-term share prices. Not to forget, share price outcomes are also dependent on the potential risks a company may face. So it is important for investors to be aware of the risks involved in the business. To know the 1 risk we have identified for Pekabex visit our risks dashboard for free.

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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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