Is EQL Pharma AB (publ)'s (NGM:EQL) Stock's Recent Performance Being Led By Its Attractive Financial Prospects?

Most readers would already be aware that EQL Pharma's (NGM:EQL) stock increased significantly by 30% over the past 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. Specifically, we decided to study EQL Pharma's 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. Simply put, it is used to assess the profitability of a company in relation to its equity capital.

Check out our latest analysis for EQL Pharma

How To Calculate Return On Equity?

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 EQL Pharma is:

17% = kr16m ÷ kr95m (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2020).

The 'return' is the income the business earned over the last year. That means that for every SEK1 worth of shareholders' equity, the company generated SEK0.17 in profit.

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. 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. 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 EQL Pharma's Earnings Growth And 17% ROE

To start with, EQL Pharma's ROE looks acceptable. Further, the company's ROE compares quite favorably to the industry average of 7.8%. Probably as a result of this, EQL Pharma was able to see a decent growth of 16% over the last five years.

As a next step, we compared EQL Pharma's net income growth with the industry and found that the company has a similar growth figure when compared with the industry average growth rate of 16% in the same period.

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. This then helps them determine if the stock is placed for a bright or bleak future. 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 EQL Pharma is trading on a high P/E or a low P/E, relative to its industry.

Is EQL Pharma Using Its Retained Earnings Effectively?

Conclusion

In total, we are pretty happy with EQL Pharma's performance. Specifically, we like that the company is reinvesting a huge chunk of its profits at a high rate of return. This of course has caused the company to see substantial growth in its earnings. 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. Let's not forget, business risk is also one of the factors that affects the price of the stock. So this is also an important area that investors need to pay attention to before making a decision on any business. To know the 3 risks we have identified for EQL Pharma 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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