Does Dipula Income Fund Limited's (JSE:DIA) Weak Fundamentals Mean That The Market Could Correct Its Share Price?

Dipula Income Fund (JSE:DIA) has had a great run on the share market with its stock up by a significant 14% over the last week. However, we decided to pay close attention to its weak financials as we are doubtful that the current momentum will keep up, given the scenario. Specifically, we decided to study Dipula Income Fund's ROE in this article.

Return on equity or ROE is a key measure used to assess how efficiently a company's management is utilizing the company's capital. In short, ROE shows the profit each dollar generates with respect to its shareholder investments.

Check out our latest analysis for Dipula Income Fund

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 Dipula Income Fund is:

8.5% = R483m ÷ R5.7b (Based on the trailing twelve months to August 2021).

The 'return' is the yearly profit. So, this means that for every ZAR1 of its shareholder's investments, the company generates a profit of ZAR0.09.

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. 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.

Dipula Income Fund's Earnings Growth And 8.5% ROE

It is hard to argue that Dipula Income Fund's ROE is much good in and of itself. A comparison with the industry shows that the company's ROE is pretty similar to the average industry ROE of 9.2%. Given the low ROE Dipula Income Fund's five year net income decline of 12% is not surprising.

We then compared Dipula Income Fund's performance with the industry and found that the company has shrunk its earnings at a slower rate than the industry earnings which has seen its earnings shrink by 20% in the same period. While this is not particularly good, its not particularly bad either.

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. 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 Dipula Income Fund is trading on a high P/E or a low P/E, relative to its industry.

Is Dipula Income Fund Making Efficient Use Of Its Profits?

Dipula Income Fund has a very high three-year median payout ratio of 68%, implying that it retains only 32% of its profits. However, it's not unusual to see a REIT with such a high payout ratio mainly due to statutory requirements. So this probably explains the company's shrinking earnings.

Additionally, Dipula Income Fund 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.

Summary

On the whole, Dipula Income Fund's performance is quite a big let-down. As a result of its low ROE and lack of much reinvestment into the business, the company has seen a disappointing earnings growth rate. Up till now, we've only made a short study of the company's growth data. You can do your own research on Dipula Income Fund and see how it has performed in the past by looking at this FREE detailed graph of past earnings, revenue and cash flows.

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.

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