JPP Holding Company Limited's (TPE:5284) Stock Going Strong But Fundamentals Look Weak: What Implications Could This Have On The Stock?

JPP Holding's (TPE:5284) stock is up by a considerable 8.1% over the past month. We, however wanted to have a closer look at its key financial indicators as the markets usually pay for long-term fundamentals, and in this case, they don't look very promising. Particularly, we will be paying attention to JPP Holding's ROE today.

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. Put another way, it reveals the company's success at turning shareholder investments into profits.

Check out our latest analysis for JPP Holding

How Is ROE Calculated?

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 JPP Holding is:

5.6% = NT$99m ÷ NT$1.8b (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$0.06 in profit.

Why Is ROE Important For Earnings Growth?

So far, we've learned that ROE is a measure of a company's profitability. 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. Generally speaking, other things being equal, firms with a high return on equity and profit retention, have a higher growth rate than firms that don’t share these attributes.

JPP Holding's Earnings Growth And 5.6% ROE

On the face of it, JPP Holding's ROE is not much to talk about. A quick further study shows that the company's ROE doesn't compare favorably to the industry average of 10.0% either. For this reason, JPP Holding's five year net income decline of 11% is not surprising given its lower ROE. We reckon that there could also be other factors at play here. For instance, the company has a very high payout ratio, or is faced with competitive pressures.

So, as a next step, we compared JPP Holding's performance against the industry and were disappointed to discover that while the company has been shrinking its earnings, the industry has been growing its earnings at a rate of 9.2% in the same period.

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. 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 JPP Holding is trading on a high P/E or a low P/E, relative to its industry.

Is JPP Holding Using Its Retained Earnings Effectively?

JPP Holding's declining earnings is not surprising given how the company is spending most of its profits in paying dividends, judging by its three-year median payout ratio of 70% (or a retention ratio of 30%). With only a little being reinvested into the business, earnings growth would obviously be low or non-existent. You can see the 5 risks we have identified for JPP Holding by visiting our risks dashboard for free on our platform here.

Additionally, JPP Holding has paid dividends over a period of six years, which means that the company's management is rather focused on keeping up its dividend payments, regardless of the shrinking earnings.

Conclusion

Overall, we would be extremely cautious before making any decision on JPP Holding. As a result of its low ROE and lack of mich reinvestment into the business, the company has seen a disappointing earnings growth rate. So far, we've only made a quick discussion around the company's earnings growth. So it may be worth checking this free detailed graph of JPP Holding's past earnings, as well as revenue and cash flows to get a deeper insight into the company's performance.

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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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