Most readers would already be aware that Rianlon's (SZSE:300596) stock increased significantly by 27% 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 Rianlon's ROE today.

Return on Equity or ROE is a test of how effectively a company is growing its value and managing investors' money. 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?

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 Rianlon is:

8.7% = CN¥395m ÷ CN¥4.5b (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2024).

The 'return' is the profit over the last twelve months. So, this means that for every CN¥1 of its shareholder's investments, the company generates a profit of CN¥0.09.

What Is The Relationship Between ROE And Earnings Growth?

So far, we've learned that ROE is a measure of a company's profitability. 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 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.

Rianlon's Earnings Growth And 8.7% ROE

On the face of it, Rianlon's ROE is not much to talk about. However, the fact that the its ROE is quite higher to the industry average of 6.4% doesn't go unnoticed by us. This certainly adds some context to Rianlon's moderate 12% net income growth seen over the past five years. Bear in mind, the company does have a moderately low ROE. It is just that the industry ROE is lower. So there might well be other reasons for the earnings to grow. For example, it is possible that the broader industry is going through a high growth phase, or that the company has a low payout ratio.

As a next step, we compared Rianlon'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 6.3%.

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). This then helps them determine if the stock is placed for a bright or bleak future. 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 Rianlon is trading on a high P/E or a low P/E, relative to its industry.

Is Rianlon Efficiently Re-investing Its Profits?

Rianlon's three-year median payout ratio to shareholders is 15% (implying that it retains 85% of its income), which is on the lower side, so it seems like the management is reinvesting profits heavily to grow its business.

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

Summary

Overall, we are quite pleased with Rianlon's performance. In particular, it's great to see that the company has seen significant growth in its earnings backed by a respectable ROE and a high reinvestment rate. Having said that, looking at the current analyst estimates, we found that the company's earnings are expected to gain momentum. To know more about the company's future earnings growth forecasts take a look at this free report on analyst forecasts for the company to find out more.

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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.