Is Combined Motor Holdings Limited's (JSE:CMH) Stock's Recent Performance Being Led By Its Attractive Financial Prospects?

Combined Motor Holdings' (JSE:CMH) stock is up by a considerable 26% over the past three months. Given the company's impressive performance, we decided to study its financial indicators more closely as a company's financial health over the long-term usually dictates market outcomes. Specifically, we decided to study Combined Motor Holdings' ROE in this article.

Return on equity or ROE is an important factor to be considered by a shareholder because it tells them how effectively their capital is being reinvested. In simpler terms, it measures the profitability of a company in relation to shareholder's equity.

View our latest analysis for Combined Motor 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 Combined Motor Holdings is:

30% = R408m ÷ R1.4b (Based on the trailing twelve months to February 2024).

The 'return' is the income the business earned over the last year. So, this means that for every ZAR1 of its shareholder's investments, the company generates a profit of ZAR0.30.

What Is The Relationship Between ROE And Earnings Growth?

So far, we've learned that ROE is a measure of a company's profitability. Depending on how much of these profits the company reinvests or "retains", and how effectively it does so, we are then able to assess a company’s earnings growth potential. 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 Combined Motor Holdings' Earnings Growth And 30% ROE

To begin with, Combined Motor Holdings has a pretty high ROE which is interesting. Second, a comparison with the average ROE reported by the industry of 12% also doesn't go unnoticed by us. As a result, Combined Motor Holdings' exceptional 22% net income growth seen over the past five years, doesn't come as a surprise.

We then compared Combined Motor Holdings' net income growth with the industry and we're pleased to see that the company's growth figure is higher when compared with the industry which has a growth rate of 12% in the same 5-year period.

Earnings growth is a huge factor in stock valuation. What investors need to determine next is if the expected earnings growth, or the lack of it, is already built into the share price. This then helps them determine if the stock is placed for a bright or bleak future. Is CMH fairly valued? This infographic on the company's intrinsic value has everything you need to know.

Is Combined Motor Holdings Making Efficient Use Of Its Profits?

Combined Motor Holdings' significant three-year median payout ratio of 67% (where it is retaining only 33% of its income) suggests that the company has been able to achieve a high growth in earnings despite returning most of its income to shareholders.

Moreover, Combined Motor Holdings 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. Our latest analyst data shows that the future payout ratio of the company over the next three years is expected to be approximately 61%. Regardless, Combined Motor Holdings' ROE is speculated to decline to 24% despite there being no anticipated change in its payout ratio.

Summary

In total, we are pretty happy with Combined Motor Holdings' performance. In particular, its high ROE is quite noteworthy and also the probable explanation behind its considerable earnings growth. Yet, the company is retaining a small portion of its profits. Which means that the company has been able to grow its earnings in spite of it, so that's not too bad. That being so, a study of the latest analyst forecasts show that the company is expected to see a slowdown in its future earnings growth. 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.