Most readers would already be aware that COSCO SHIPPING Technology's (SZSE:002401) stock increased significantly by 12% over the past week. Given that the market rewards strong financials in the long-term, we wonder if that is the case in this instance. Particularly, we will be paying attention to COSCO SHIPPING Technology's ROE today.

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 other words, it is a profitability ratio which measures the rate of return on the capital provided by the company's shareholders.

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 COSCO SHIPPING Technology is:

11% = CN¥188m ÷ CN¥1.7b (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2024).

The 'return' is the profit over the last twelve months. That means that for every CN¥1 worth of shareholders' equity, the company generated CN¥0.11 in profit.

What Is The Relationship Between ROE And 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 COSCO SHIPPING Technology's Earnings Growth And 11% ROE

To start with, COSCO SHIPPING Technology's ROE looks acceptable. Further, the company's ROE compares quite favorably to the industry average of 4.3%. This probably laid the ground for COSCO SHIPPING Technology's moderate 10% net income growth seen over the past five years.

As a next step, we compared COSCO SHIPPING Technology's net income growth with the industry, and pleasingly, we found that the growth seen by the company is higher than the average industry growth of 2.7%.

Earnings growth is an important metric to consider when valuing a stock. It's important for an investor to know whether the market has priced in the company's expected earnings growth (or decline). 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 COSCO SHIPPING Technology is trading on a high P/E or a low P/E, relative to its industry.

Is COSCO SHIPPING Technology Efficiently Re-investing Its Profits?

COSCO SHIPPING Technology's three-year median payout ratio to shareholders is 24% (implying that it retains 76% of its income), which is on the lower side, so it seems like the management is reinvesting profits heavily to grow its business.

Additionally, COSCO SHIPPING Technology has paid dividends over a period of nine years which means that the company is pretty serious about sharing its profits with shareholders.

Conclusion

In total, we are pretty happy with COSCO SHIPPING Technology's performance. In particular, it's great to see that the company is investing heavily into its business and along with a high rate of return, that has resulted in a sizeable growth in its earnings. If the company continues to grow its earnings the way it has, that could have a positive impact on its share price given how earnings per share influence long-term share prices. Remember, the price of a stock is also dependent on the perceived risk. Therefore investors must keep themselves informed about the risks involved before investing in any company. You can see the 2 risks we have identified for COSCO SHIPPING Technology by visiting our risks dashboard for free on our platform here.

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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.