Is Ultra Clean Holdings, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:UCTT) Latest Stock Performance A Reflection Of Its Financial Health?

Most readers would already be aware that Ultra Clean Holdings' (NASDAQ:UCTT) stock increased significantly by 52% over the past three months. Given that the market rewards strong financials in the long-term, we wonder if that is the case in this instance. Specifically, we decided to study Ultra Clean Holdings' ROE in this article.

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 Ultra Clean Holdings

How To Calculate Return On Equity?

The formula for ROE is:

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

So, based on the above formula, the ROE for Ultra Clean Holdings is:

15% = US$80m ÷ US$551m (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2020).

The 'return' refers to a company's earnings over the last year. One way to conceptualize this is that for each $1 of shareholders' capital it has, the company made $0.15 in profit.

Why Is ROE Important For 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. 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.

A Side By Side comparison of Ultra Clean Holdings' Earnings Growth And 15% ROE

At first glance, Ultra Clean Holdings seems to have a decent ROE. Further, the company's ROE compares quite favorably to the industry average of 12%. This certainly adds some context to Ultra Clean Holdings' decent 17% net income growth seen over the past five years.

We then performed a comparison between Ultra Clean Holdings' net income growth with the industry, which revealed that the company's growth is similar to the average industry growth of 14% in the same period.

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. Is Ultra Clean Holdings fairly valued compared to other companies? These 3 valuation measures might help you decide.

Is Ultra Clean Holdings Using Its Retained Earnings Effectively?

Conclusion

Overall, we are quite pleased with Ultra Clean Holdings' 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 substantial growth in its earnings. 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 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. 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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