Is Weakness In Morn Sun Feed Mill Corp. (GTSM:1240) Stock A Sign That The Market Could be Wrong Given Its Strong Financial Prospects?

With its stock down 6.9% over the past three months, it is easy to disregard Morn Sun Feed Mill (GTSM:1240). However, a closer look at its sound financials might cause you to think again. Given that fundamentals usually drive long-term market outcomes, the company is worth looking at. In this article, we decided to focus on Morn Sun Feed Mill's ROE.

ROE or return on equity is a useful tool to assess how effectively a company can generate returns on the investment it received from its shareholders. In simpler terms, it measures the profitability of a company in relation to shareholder's equity.

Check out our latest analysis for Morn Sun Feed Mill

How Do You 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 Morn Sun Feed Mill is:

12% = NT$139m ÷ NT$1.2b (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2020).

The 'return' is the yearly profit. Another way to think of that is that for every NT$1 worth of equity, the company was able to earn NT$0.12 in profit.

What Has ROE Got To Do With Earnings Growth?

We have already established that ROE serves as an efficient profit-generating gauge for a company's future earnings. Based on how much of its profits the company chooses to reinvest or "retain", we are then able to evaluate a company's future ability to generate profits. 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 Morn Sun Feed Mill's Earnings Growth And 12% ROE

To begin with, Morn Sun Feed Mill seems to have a respectable ROE. Even when compared to the industry average of 11% the company's ROE looks quite decent. This probably goes some way in explaining Morn Sun Feed Mill's moderate 5.0% growth over the past five years amongst other factors.

Next, on comparing with the industry net income growth, we found that Morn Sun Feed Mill's reported growth was lower than the industry growth of 7.3% in the same period, which is not something we like to see.

Earnings growth is an important metric to consider when valuing a stock. 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. Is Morn Sun Feed Mill fairly valued compared to other companies? These 3 valuation measures might help you decide.

Is Morn Sun Feed Mill Using Its Retained Earnings Effectively?

With a three-year median payout ratio of 50% (implying that the company retains 50% of its profits), it seems that Morn Sun Feed Mill is reinvesting efficiently in a way that it sees respectable amount growth in its earnings and pays a dividend that's well covered.

Moreover, Morn Sun Feed Mill is determined to keep sharing its profits with shareholders which we infer from its long history of three years of paying a dividend.

Summary

Overall, we are quite pleased with Morn Sun Feed Mill'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 a good amount of 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. Remember, the price of a stock is also dependent on the perceived risk. Therefore investors must keep themselves informed about the risks involved before investing in any company. You can see the 3 risks we have identified for Morn Sun Feed Mill by visiting our risks dashboard for free on our platform here.

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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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