Champion Microelectronic Corporation's (TPE:3257) Financials Are Too Obscure To Link With Current Share Price Momentum: What's In Store For the Stock?

Champion Microelectronic's (TPE:3257) stock is up by a considerable 17% over the past three months. However, we decided to pay attention to the company's fundamentals which don't appear to give a clear sign about the company's financial health. Particularly, we will be paying attention to Champion Microelectronic's ROE today.

Return on equity or ROE is a key measure used to assess how efficiently a company's management is utilizing the company's capital. Put another way, it reveals the company's success at turning shareholder investments into profits.

Check out our latest analysis for Champion Microelectronic

How To 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 Champion Microelectronic is:

13% = NT$192m ÷ NT$1.5b (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2020).

The 'return' is the amount earned after tax over the last twelve months. So, this means that for every NT$1 of its shareholder's investments, the company generates a profit of NT$0.13.

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. 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.

A Side By Side comparison of Champion Microelectronic's Earnings Growth And 13% ROE

At first glance, Champion Microelectronic seems to have a decent ROE. Further, the company's ROE is similar to the industry average of 11%. As you might expect, the 4.1% net income decline reported by Champion Microelectronic is a bit of a surprise. We reckon that there could be some other factors at play here that are preventing the company's growth. These include low earnings retention or poor allocation of capital.

However, when we compared Champion Microelectronic's growth with the industry we found that while the company's earnings have been shrinking, the industry has seen an earnings growth of 8.7% in the same period. This is quite worrisome.

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). This then helps them determine if the stock is placed for a bright or bleak future. Is 3257 fairly valued? This infographic on the company's intrinsic value has everything you need to know.

Is Champion Microelectronic Using Its Retained Earnings Effectively?

Champion Microelectronic's very high three-year median payout ratio of 103% over the last three years suggests that the company is paying its shareholders more than what it is earning and this explains the company's shrinking earnings. Its usually very hard to sustain dividend payments that are higher than reported profits. Our risks dashboard should have the 2 risks we have identified for Champion Microelectronic.

In addition, Champion Microelectronic has been paying dividends over a period of at least ten years suggesting that keeping up dividend payments is way more important to the management even if it comes at the cost of business growth.

Summary

Overall, we have mixed feelings about Champion Microelectronic. Despite the high ROE, the company has a disappointing earnings growth number, due to its poor rate of reinvestment into its business. Up till now, we've only made a short study of the company's growth data. You can do your own research on Champion Microelectronic and see how it has performed in the past by looking at this FREE detailed graph of past earnings, revenue and cash flows.

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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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