Shenzhen Boshijie Technology (SZSE:301608) has had a great run on the share market with its stock up by a significant 34% over the last three months. We wonder if and what role the company's financials play in that price change as a company's long-term fundamentals usually dictate market outcomes. Specifically, we decided to study Shenzhen Boshijie Technology's 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 other words, it is a profitability ratio which measures the rate of return on the capital provided by the company's shareholders.

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 Shenzhen Boshijie Technology is:

8.9% = CN¥174m ÷ CN¥2.0b (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2024).

The 'return' is the income the business earned over the last year. Another way to think of that is that for every CN¥1 worth of equity, the company was able to earn CN¥0.09 in profit.

What Has ROE Got To Do With Earnings Growth?

Thus far, we have learned that ROE measures how efficiently a company is generating its profits. 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 Shenzhen Boshijie Technology's Earnings Growth And 8.9% ROE

At first glance, Shenzhen Boshijie Technology's ROE doesn't look very promising. However, the fact that the its ROE is quite higher to the industry average of 5.6% doesn't go unnoticed by us. Still, Shenzhen Boshijie Technology's net income growth of 2.6% over the past five years was mediocre at best. Remember, the company's ROE is quite low to begin with, just that it is higher than the industry average. Therefore, the low growth in earnings could also be the result of this.

Next, on comparing with the industry net income growth, we found that Shenzhen Boshijie Technology's reported growth was lower than the industry growth of 12% over the last few years, which is not something we like to see.

Earnings growth is an important metric to consider when valuing a stock. What investors need to determine next is if the expected earnings growth, or the lack of it, is already built into the share price. 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 Shenzhen Boshijie Technology is trading on a high P/E or a low P/E, relative to its industry.

Is Shenzhen Boshijie Technology Efficiently Re-investing Its Profits?

Shenzhen Boshijie Technology's low three-year median payout ratio of 24% (or a retention ratio of 76%) should mean that the company is retaining most of its earnings to fuel its growth. This should be reflected in its earnings growth number, but that's not the case. Therefore, there might be some other reasons to explain the lack in that respect. For example, the business could be in decline.

Conclusion

In total, it does look like Shenzhen Boshijie Technology has some positive aspects to its business. Yet, the low earnings growth is a bit concerning, especially given that the company has a respectable rate of return and is reinvesting a huge portion of its profits. By the looks of it, there could be some other factors, not necessarily in control of the business, that's preventing growth. While we won't completely dismiss the company, what we would do, is try to ascertain how risky the business is to make a more informed decision around the company. Our risks dashboard would have the 3 risks we have identified for Shenzhen Boshijie Technology.

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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.