Can Micro Systemation AB (publ) (STO:MSAB B) Performance Keep Up Given Its Mixed Bag Of Fundamentals?

Most readers would already know that Micro Systemation's (STO:MSAB B) stock increased by 4.7% over the past three months. Given that the stock prices usually follow long-term business performance, we wonder if the company's mixed financials could have any adverse effect on its current price price movement Specifically, we decided to study Micro Systemation's ROE in this article.

Return on equity or ROE is a key measure used to assess how efficiently a company's management is utilizing the company's capital. In short, ROE shows the profit each dollar generates with respect to its shareholder investments.

See our latest analysis for Micro Systemation

How Do You Calculate Return On Equity?

The formula for ROE is:

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

So, based on the above formula, the ROE for Micro Systemation is:

25% = kr25m ÷ kr98m (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2020).

The 'return' is the income the business earned over the last year. So, this means that for every SEK1 of its shareholder's investments, the company generates a profit of SEK0.25.

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.

Micro Systemation's Earnings Growth And 25% ROE

First thing first, we like that Micro Systemation has an impressive ROE. Additionally, the company's ROE is higher compared to the industry average of 15% which is quite remarkable. For this reason, Micro Systemation's five year net income decline of 23% raises the question as to why the high ROE didn't translate into earnings growth. We reckon that there could be some other factors at play here that are preventing the company's growth. For example, it could be that the company has a high payout ratio or the business has allocated capital poorly, for instance.

However, when we compared Micro Systemation's growth with the industry we found that while the company's earnings have been shrinking, the industry has seen an earnings growth of 22% in the same period. This is quite worrisome.

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). 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 Micro Systemation is trading on a high P/E or a low P/E, relative to its industry.

Is Micro Systemation Making Efficient Use Of Its Profits?

While the company did payout a portion of its dividend in the past, it currently doesn't pay a dividend. This implies that potentially all of its profits are being reinvested in the business.

Our latest analyst data shows that the future payout ratio of the company is expected to drop to 77% over the next three years. As a result, the expected drop in Micro Systemation's payout ratio explains the anticipated rise in the company's future ROE to 33%, over the same period.

Conclusion

On the whole, we feel that the performance shown by Micro Systemation can be open to many interpretations. Despite the high ROE, the company has a disappointing earnings growth number, due to its poor rate of reinvestment into its business. With that said, we studied the latest analyst forecasts and found that while the company has shrunk its earnings in the past, analysts expect its earnings to grow in the future. 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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