Declining Stock and Solid Fundamentals: Is The Market Wrong About WinWay Technology Co., Ltd. (TWSE:6515)?

It is hard to get excited after looking at WinWay Technology's (TWSE:6515) recent performance, when its stock has declined 14% over the past three months. However, stock prices are usually driven by a company’s financial performance over the long term, which in this case looks quite promising. Particularly, we will be paying attention to WinWay Technology's ROE today.

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.

Check out our latest analysis for WinWay Technology

How Do You Calculate Return On Equity?

The formula for return on equity is:

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

So, based on the above formula, the ROE for WinWay Technology is:

20% = NT$886m ÷ NT$4.5b (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2024).

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$0.20 in profit.

Why Is ROE Important For Earnings Growth?

Thus far, we have learned that ROE measures how efficiently a company is generating its profits. 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 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 WinWay Technology's Earnings Growth And 20% ROE

To begin with, WinWay Technology seems to have a respectable ROE. Further, the company's ROE compares quite favorably to the industry average of 11%. Probably as a result of this, WinWay Technology was able to see a decent growth of 11% over the last five years.

Next, on comparing WinWay Technology's net income growth with the industry, we found that the company's reported growth is similar to the industry average growth rate of 9.9% over the last few years.

The basis for attaching value to a company is, to a great extent, tied to its earnings growth. The investor should try to establish if the expected growth or decline in earnings, whichever the case may be, is priced in. By doing so, they will have an idea if the stock is headed into clear blue waters or if swampy waters await. 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 WinWay Technology is trading on a high P/E or a low P/E, relative to its industry.

Is WinWay Technology Making Efficient Use Of Its Profits?

While WinWay Technology has a three-year median payout ratio of 68% (which means it retains 32% of profits), the company has still seen a fair bit of earnings growth in the past, meaning that its high payout ratio hasn't hampered its ability to grow.

Besides, WinWay Technology has been paying dividends over a period of four years. This shows that the company is committed to sharing profits with its shareholders. Based on the latest analysts' estimates, we found that the company's future payout ratio over the next three years is expected to hold steady at 79%. Regardless, the future ROE for WinWay Technology is predicted to rise to 30% despite there being not much change expected in its payout ratio.

Summary

In total, we are pretty happy with WinWay Technology's performance. In particular, its high ROE is quite noteworthy and also the probable explanation behind its considerable earnings growth. Yet, the company is retaining a small portion of its profits. Which means that the company has been able to grow its earnings in spite of it, so that's not too bad. That being so, the latest analyst forecasts show that the company will continue to see an expansion in its earnings. To know more about the company's future earnings growth forecasts take a look at this free report on analyst forecasts for the company to find out more.

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. 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.