With its stock down 7.6% over the past week, it is easy to disregard Shanghai LaiyifenLtd (SHSE:603777). But if you pay close attention, you might find that its key financial indicators look quite decent, which could mean that the stock could potentially rise in the long-term given how markets usually reward more resilient long-term fundamentals. Specifically, we decided to study Shanghai LaiyifenLtd'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. Put another way, it reveals the company's success at turning shareholder investments into profits.

Check out our latest analysis for Shanghai LaiyifenLtd

How Do You Calculate Return On Equity?

ROE can be calculated by using the formula:

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

So, based on the above formula, the ROE for Shanghai LaiyifenLtd is:

2.0% = CN¥36m ÷ CN¥1.8b (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2023).

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¥0.02 in profit.

What Is The Relationship Between ROE And Earnings Growth?

We have already established that ROE serves as an efficient profit-generating gauge for a company's future earnings. Based on how much of its profits the company chooses to reinvest or "retain", we are then able to evaluate a company's future ability to generate profits. 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.

A Side By Side comparison of Shanghai LaiyifenLtd's Earnings Growth And 2.0% ROE

It is hard to argue that Shanghai LaiyifenLtd's ROE is much good in and of itself. Even compared to the average industry ROE of 6.8%, the company's ROE is quite dismal. However, we we're pleasantly surprised to see that Shanghai LaiyifenLtd grew its net income at a significant rate of 34% in the last five years. We reckon that there could be other factors at play here. For example, it is possible that the company's management has made some good strategic decisions, or that the company has a low payout ratio.

As a next step, we compared Shanghai LaiyifenLtd'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 13%.

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. Doing so will help them establish if the stock's future looks promising or ominous. 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 Shanghai LaiyifenLtd is trading on a high P/E or a low P/E, relative to its industry.

Is Shanghai LaiyifenLtd Making Efficient Use Of Its Profits?

Shanghai LaiyifenLtd has a three-year median payout ratio of 39% (where it is retaining 61% of its income) which is not too low or not too high. This suggests that its dividend is well covered, and given the high growth we discussed above, it looks like Shanghai LaiyifenLtd is reinvesting its earnings efficiently.

Moreover, Shanghai LaiyifenLtd is determined to keep sharing its profits with shareholders which we infer from its long history of six years of paying a dividend.

Conclusion

On the whole, we do feel that Shanghai LaiyifenLtd has some positive attributes. With a high rate of reinvestment, albeit at a low ROE, the company has managed to see a considerable growth in its earnings. 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. You can see the 3 risks we have identified for Shanghai LaiyifenLtd 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.