Quaker Chemical Corporation's (NYSE:KWR) Fundamentals Look Pretty Strong: Could The Market Be Wrong About The Stock?

Quaker Chemical (NYSE:KWR) has had a rough three months with its share price down 15%. However, stock prices are usually driven by a company’s financials over the long term, which in this case look pretty respectable. Particularly, we will be paying attention to Quaker Chemical'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 Quaker Chemical

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 Quaker Chemical is:

8.6% = US$117m ÷ US$1.4b (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2024).

The 'return' is the yearly profit. That means that for every $1 worth of shareholders' equity, the company generated $0.09 in profit.

What Is The Relationship Between ROE And 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. 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.

Quaker Chemical's Earnings Growth And 8.6% ROE

On the face of it, Quaker Chemical's ROE is not much to talk about. However, its ROE is similar to the industry average of 9.8%, so we won't completely dismiss the company. On the other hand, Quaker Chemical reported a moderate 19% net income growth over the past five years. Considering the moderately low ROE, it is quite possible that there might be some other aspects that are positively influencing the company's earnings 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.

As a next step, we compared Quaker Chemical's net income growth with the industry, and pleasingly, we found that the growth seen by the company is higher than the average industry growth of 10%.

Earnings growth is a huge factor in stock valuation. 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. Is KWR fairly valued? This infographic on the company's intrinsic value has everything you need to know.

Is Quaker Chemical Using Its Retained Earnings Effectively?

With a three-year median payout ratio of 28% (implying that the company retains 72% of its profits), it seems that Quaker Chemical is reinvesting efficiently in a way that it sees respectable amount growth in its earnings and pays a dividend that's well covered.

Moreover, Quaker Chemical is determined to keep sharing its profits with shareholders which we infer from its long history of paying a dividend for at least ten years. Upon studying the latest analysts' consensus data, we found that the company's future payout ratio is expected to drop to 18% over the next three years. The fact that the company's ROE is expected to rise to 22% over the same period is explained by the drop in the payout ratio.

Summary

In total, it does look like Quaker Chemical has some positive aspects to its business. 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. On studying current analyst estimates, we found that analysts expect the company to continue its recent growth streak. 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. 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.