It is hard to get excited after looking at National Medical Care's (TADAWUL:4005) recent performance, when its stock has declined 15% over the past three months. However, a closer look at its sound financials might cause you to think again. Given that fundamentals usually drive long-term market outcomes, the company is worth looking at. Specifically, we decided to study National Medical Care's ROE in this article.
Return on Equity or ROE is a test of how effectively a company is growing its value and managing investors’ money. Put another way, it reveals the company's success at turning shareholder investments into profits.
See our latest analysis for National Medical Care
The formula for ROE is:
Return on Equity = Net Profit (from continuing operations) ÷ Shareholders' Equity
So, based on the above formula, the ROE for National Medical Care is:
19% = ر.س288m ÷ ر.س1.5b (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2024).
The 'return' is the profit over the last twelve months. One way to conceptualize this is that for each SAR1 of shareholders' capital it has, the company made SAR0.19 in profit.
So far, we've learned that ROE is a measure of a company's profitability. 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 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.
On the face of it, National Medical Care's ROE is not much to talk about. Although a closer study shows that the company's ROE is higher than the industry average of 15% which we definitely can't overlook. Especially when you consider National Medical Care's exceptional 29% net income growth 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. E.g the company has a low payout ratio or could belong to a high growth industry.
We then compared National Medical Care's net income growth with the industry and we're pleased to see that the company's growth figure is higher when compared with the industry which has a growth rate of 21% in the same 5-year period.
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). Doing so will help them establish if the stock's future looks promising or ominous. Is National Medical Care fairly valued compared to other companies? These 3 valuation measures might help you decide.
The three-year median payout ratio for National Medical Care is 32%, which is moderately low. The company is retaining the remaining 68%. By the looks of it, the dividend is well covered and National Medical Care is reinvesting its profits efficiently as evidenced by its exceptional growth which we discussed above.
Besides, National Medical Care has been paying dividends for at least ten years or more. This shows that the company is committed to sharing profits with its shareholders. Upon studying the latest analysts' consensus data, we found that the company is expected to keep paying out approximately 32% of its profits over the next three years. Therefore, the company's future ROE is also not expected to change by much with analysts predicting an ROE of 19%.
Overall, we are quite pleased with National Medical Care's performance. Particularly, we like that the company is reinvesting heavily into its business at a moderate rate of return. Unsurprisingly, this has led to an impressive earnings growth. With that said, the latest industry analyst forecasts reveal that the company's earnings growth is expected to slow down. To know more about the latest analysts predictions for the company, check out this visualization of analyst forecasts 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.