Giant Network Group (SZSE:002558) has had a rough three months with its share price down 13%. However, the company's fundamentals look pretty decent, and long-term financials are usually aligned with future market price movements. Particularly, we will be paying attention to Giant Network Group'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. Put another way, it reveals the company's success at turning shareholder investments into profits.

How Is ROE Calculated?

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 Giant Network Group is:

9.9% = CN¥1.2b ÷ CN¥12b (Based on the trailing twelve months to March 2024).

The 'return' refers to a company's earnings 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¥0.10 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. 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. 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.

Giant Network Group's Earnings Growth And 9.9% ROE

On the face of it, Giant Network Group's ROE is not much to talk about. However, the fact that the company's ROE is higher than the average industry ROE of 5.6%, is definitely interesting. Yet, Giant Network Group has posted measly growth of 3.8% over the past five years. Remember, the company's ROE is quite low to begin with, just that it is higher than the industry average. So that could be one of the factors that are causing earnings growth to stay low.

We then compared Giant Network Group's net income growth with the industry and found that the company's growth figure is lower than the average industry growth rate of 4.8% in the same 5-year period, which is a bit concerning.

The basis for attaching value to a company is, to a great extent, tied to its earnings growth. It's important for an investor to know whether the market has priced in the company's expected earnings growth (or decline). Doing so will help them establish if the stock's future looks promising or ominous. Is 002558 fairly valued? This infographic on the company's intrinsic value has everything you need to know.

Is Giant Network Group Efficiently Re-investing Its Profits?

While Giant Network Group has a decent three-year median payout ratio of 32% (or a retention ratio of 68%), it has seen very little growth in earnings. So there could be some other explanation in that regard. For instance, the company's business may be deteriorating.

Additionally, Giant Network Group has paid dividends over a period of seven years, which means that the company's management is determined to pay dividends even if it means little to no earnings growth.

Summary

In total, it does look like Giant Network Group has some positive aspects to its business. Although, we are disappointed to see a lack of growth in earnings even in spite of a moderate ROE and and a high reinvestment rate. We believe that there might be some outside factors that could be having a negative impact on the business. Having said that, looking at the current analyst estimates, we found that the company's earnings are expected to gain momentum. Are these analysts expectations based on the broad expectations for the industry, or on the company's fundamentals? Click here to be taken to our analyst's forecasts page 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.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com