Viavi Solutions Inc. (NASDAQ:VIAV) Is Going Strong But Fundamentals Appear To Be Mixed : Is There A Clear Direction For The Stock?

Viavi Solutions' (NASDAQ:VIAV) stock is up by a considerable 5.9% over the past week. However, we wonder if the company's inconsistent financials would have any adverse impact on the current share price momentum. Specifically, we decided to study Viavi Solutions' 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.

See our latest analysis for Viavi Solutions

How To 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 Viavi Solutions is:

9.2% = US$75m ÷ US$812m (Based on the trailing twelve months to April 2021).

The 'return' is the amount earned after tax over the last twelve months. So, this means that for every $1 of its shareholder's investments, the company generates a profit of $0.09.

What Is The Relationship Between ROE And Earnings Growth?

So far, we've learned that ROE is a measure of a company's profitability. 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 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.

Viavi Solutions' Earnings Growth And 9.2% ROE

At first glance, Viavi Solutions' ROE doesn't look very promising. We then compared the company's ROE to the broader industry and were disappointed to see that the ROE is lower than the industry average of 13%. As a result, Viavi Solutions' flat net income growth over the past five years doesn't come as a surprise given its lower ROE.

Next, on comparing with the industry net income growth, we found that Viavi Solutions' reported growth was a little less than the industry growth of1.1% in the same period.

Earnings growth is an important metric to consider when valuing a stock. 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 Viavi Solutions fairly valued compared to other companies? These 3 valuation measures might help you decide.

Is Viavi Solutions Using Its Retained Earnings Effectively?

Summary

In total, we're a bit ambivalent about Viavi Solutions' performance. Even though it appears to be retaining most of its profits, given the low ROE, investors may not be benefitting from all that reinvestment after all. The low earnings growth suggests our theory correct. Having said that, looking at current analyst estimates, we found that the company's earnings growth rate is expected to see a huge improvement. 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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