JLT Mobile Computers AB (publ)'s (STO:JLT) Fundamentals Look Pretty Strong: Could The Market Be Wrong About The Stock?

With its stock down 5.4% over the past month, it is easy to disregard JLT Mobile Computers (STO:JLT). However, stock prices are usually driven by a company’s financials over the long term, which in this case look pretty respectable. Specifically, we decided to study JLT Mobile Computers' 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.

See our latest analysis for JLT Mobile Computers

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 JLT Mobile Computers is:

6.8% = kr4.1m ÷ kr60m (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2020).

The 'return' is the profit over the last twelve months. That means that for every SEK1 worth of shareholders' equity, the company generated SEK0.07 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 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.

JLT Mobile Computers' Earnings Growth And 6.8% ROE

When you first look at it, JLT Mobile Computers' ROE doesn't look that attractive. However, given that the company's ROE is similar to the average industry ROE of 6.4%, we may spare it some thought. Having said that, JLT Mobile Computers has shown a modest net income growth of 11% over the past five years. 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.

Next, on comparing with the industry net income growth, we found that JLT Mobile Computers' growth is quite high when compared to the industry average growth of 6.1% in the same period, which is great to see.

The basis for attaching value to a company is, to a great extent, tied to its earnings growth. 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 JLT Mobile Computers is trading on a high P/E or a low P/E, relative to its industry.

Is JLT Mobile Computers 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. We infer that the company has been reinvesting all of its profits to grow its business.

Upon studying the latest analysts' consensus data, we found that the company's future payout ratio is expected to rise to 102% over the next three years. However, JLT Mobile Computers' future ROE is expected to rise to 16% despite the expected increase in the company's payout ratio. We infer that there could be other factors that could be driving the anticipated growth in the company's ROE.

Conclusion

Overall, we feel that JLT Mobile Computers certainly does have some positive factors to consider. Despite its low rate of return, the fact that the company reinvests a very high portion of its profits into its business, no doubt contributed to its high earnings growth. With that said, the latest industry analyst forecasts reveal that the company's earnings are expected to accelerate. 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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