Has Astra Industrial Group Company's (TADAWUL:1212) Impressive Stock Performance Got Anything to Do With Its Fundamentals?

Most readers would already be aware that Astra Industrial Group's (TADAWUL:1212) stock increased significantly by 20% over the past three months. 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. In this article, we decided to focus on Astra Industrial Group'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. Simply put, it is used to assess the profitability of a company in relation to its equity capital.

See our latest analysis for Astra Industrial Group

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 Astra Industrial Group is:

7.1% = ر.س91m ÷ ر.س1.3b (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2020).

The 'return' is the profit over the last twelve months. So, this means that for every SAR1 of its shareholder's investments, the company generates a profit of SAR0.07.

What Has ROE Got To Do With 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. 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.

Astra Industrial Group's Earnings Growth And 7.1% ROE

It is hard to argue that Astra Industrial Group's ROE is much good in and of itself. A comparison with the industry shows that the company's ROE is pretty similar to the average industry ROE of 7.0%. Looking at Astra Industrial Group's exceptional 37% five-year net income growth in particular, we are definitely impressed. Considering the low ROE, it is quite possible that there might also be some other aspects that are positively influencing the company's earnings 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 Astra Industrial Group's growth is quite high when compared to the industry average growth of 5.1% in the same period, which is great 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. If you're wondering about Astra Industrial Group's's valuation, check out this gauge of its price-to-earnings ratio, as compared to its industry.

Is Astra Industrial Group Making Efficient Use Of Its Profits?

While the company did pay out a portion of its dividend in the past, it currently doesn't pay a dividend. This is likely what's driving the high earnings growth number discussed above.

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 50%. Still, forecasts suggest that Astra Industrial Group's future ROE will rise to 8.8% even though the the company's payout ratio is not expected to change by much.

Conclusion

In total, it does look like Astra Industrial Group has some positive aspects to its business. While no doubt its earnings growth is pretty substantial, we do feel that the reinvestment rate is pretty low, meaning, the earnings growth number could have been significantly higher had the company been retaining more of its profits. That being so, a study of the latest analyst forecasts show that the company is expected to see a slowdown in its future earnings growth. 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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