Nanjing Hanrui CobaltLtd (SZSE:300618) has had a rough three months with its share price down 16%. It is possible that the markets have ignored the company's differing financials and decided to lean-in to the negative sentiment. Stock prices are usually driven by a company's financial performance over the long term, and therefore we decided to pay more attention to the company's financial performance. Specifically, we decided to study Nanjing Hanrui CobaltLtd'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 simpler terms, it measures the profitability of a company in relation to shareholder's equity.

View our latest analysis for Nanjing Hanrui CobaltLtd

How Is ROE Calculated?

The formula for ROE is:

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

So, based on the above formula, the ROE for Nanjing Hanrui CobaltLtd is:

8.3% = CN¥430m ÷ CN¥5.2b (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2022).

The 'return' is the profit over the last twelve months. Another way to think of that is that for every CN¥1 worth of equity, the company was able to earn CN¥0.08 in profit.

Why Is ROE Important For Earnings Growth?

So far, we've learned that ROE is a measure of a company's profitability. 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 all else is equal, companies that have both a higher return on equity and higher profit retention are usually the ones that have a higher growth rate when compared to companies that don't have the same features.

Nanjing Hanrui CobaltLtd's Earnings Growth And 8.3% ROE

When you first look at it, Nanjing Hanrui CobaltLtd's ROE doesn't look that attractive. However, its ROE is similar to the industry average of 8.3%, so we won't completely dismiss the company. Still, Nanjing Hanrui CobaltLtd has seen a flat net income growth over the past five years. Remember, the company's ROE is not particularly great to begin with. So that could also be one of the reasons behind the company's flat growth in earnings.

Next, on comparing with the industry net income growth, we found that Nanjing Hanrui CobaltLtd's reported growth was lower than the industry growth of 18% in the same period, 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 Nanjing Hanrui CobaltLtd is trading on a high P/E or a low P/E, relative to its industry.

Is Nanjing Hanrui CobaltLtd Using Its Retained Earnings Effectively?

Nanjing Hanrui CobaltLtd's low three-year median payout ratio of 15% (implying that the company keeps85% of its income) should mean that the company is retaining most of its earnings to fuel its growth and this should be reflected in its growth number, but that's not the case.

In addition, Nanjing Hanrui CobaltLtd has been paying dividends over a period of five years suggesting that keeping up dividend payments is way more important to the management even if it comes at the cost of business growth.

Summary

In total, we're a bit ambivalent about Nanjing Hanrui CobaltLtd's performance. While the company does have a high rate of profit retention, its low rate of return is probably hampering its earnings growth. So far, we've only made a quick discussion around the company's earnings growth. You can do your own research on Nanjing Hanrui CobaltLtd and see how it has performed in the past by looking at this FREE detailed graph of past earnings, revenue and cash flows.

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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.