Is Mouwasat Medical Services Company's (TADAWUL:4002) Recent Stock Performance Influenced By Its Fundamentals In Any Way?

Most readers would already be aware that Mouwasat Medical Services' (TADAWUL:4002) stock increased significantly by 9.5% over the past 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 Mouwasat Medical Services' ROE in this article.

Return on Equity or ROE is a test of how effectively a company is growing its value and managing investors’ money. Put another way, it reveals the company's success at turning shareholder investments into profits.

Check out our latest analysis for Mouwasat Medical Services

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 Mouwasat Medical Services is:

19% = ر.س691m ÷ ر.س3.6b (Based on the trailing twelve months to March 2024).

The 'return' is the income the business earned over the last year. So, this means that for every SAR1 of its shareholder's investments, the company generates a profit of SAR0.19.

What Is The Relationship Between ROE And Earnings Growth?

Thus far, we have learned that ROE measures how efficiently a company is generating its profits. 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 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.

Mouwasat Medical Services' Earnings Growth And 19% ROE

At first glance, Mouwasat Medical Services' ROE doesn't look very promising. However, its ROE is similar to the industry average of 16%, so we won't completely dismiss the company. Even so, Mouwasat Medical Services has shown a fairly decent growth in its net income which grew at a rate of 11%. Given the slightly low ROE, it is likely that there could be some other aspects that are driving 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.

As a next step, we compared Mouwasat Medical Services' net income growth with the industry and were disappointed to see that the company's growth is lower than the industry average growth of 15% in the same period.

Earnings growth is a huge factor in stock valuation. It’s important for an investor to know whether the market has priced in the company's expected earnings growth (or decline). Doing so will help them establish if the stock's future looks promising or ominous. One good indicator of expected earnings growth is the P/E ratio which determines the price the market is willing to pay for a stock based on its earnings prospects. So, you may want to check if Mouwasat Medical Services is trading on a high P/E or a low P/E, relative to its industry.

Is Mouwasat Medical Services Using Its Retained Earnings Effectively?

Mouwasat Medical Services has a healthy combination of a moderate three-year median payout ratio of 48% (or a retention ratio of 52%) and a respectable amount of growth in earnings as we saw above, meaning that the company has been making efficient use of its profits.

Besides, Mouwasat Medical Services has been paying dividends for at least ten years or more. This shows that the company is committed to sharing profits with its shareholders. 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 54%. Regardless, the future ROE for Mouwasat Medical Services is predicted to rise to 24% despite there being not much change expected in its payout ratio.

Summary

In total, it does look like Mouwasat Medical Services has some positive aspects to its business. Specifically, its fairly high earnings growth number, which no doubt was backed by the company's high earnings retention. Still, the low ROE means that all that reinvestment is not reaping a lot of benefit to the investors. With that said, the latest industry analyst forecasts reveal that the company's earnings are expected to accelerate. Are these analysts expectations based on the broad expectations for the industry, or on the company's fundamentals? Click here to be taken to our analyst's forecasts page for the company.

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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.