Most readers would already be aware that Yokohama Rubber Company's (TSE:5101) stock increased significantly by 54% over the past three months. As most would know, fundamentals are what usually guide market price movements over the long-term, so we decided to look at the company's key financial indicators today to determine if they have any role to play in the recent price movement. In this article, we decided to focus on Yokohama Rubber Company's ROE.
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 simpler terms, it measures the profitability of a company in relation to shareholder's 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 Yokohama Rubber Company is:
7.4% = JP¥65b ÷ JP¥878b (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2025).
The 'return' is the income the business earned over the last year. One way to conceptualize this is that for each ¥1 of shareholders' capital it has, the company made ¥0.07 in profit.
Check out our latest analysis for Yokohama Rubber Company
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.
At first glance, Yokohama Rubber Company's ROE doesn't look very promising. Yet, a closer study shows that the company's ROE is similar to the industry average of 6.9%. On the other hand, Yokohama Rubber Company reported a moderate 16% net income growth over the past five years. Considering the moderately low ROE, it is quite possible that there might be some other aspects that are positively influencing the company's earnings growth. Such as - high earnings retention or an efficient management in place.
As a next step, we compared Yokohama Rubber Company's net income growth with the industry and found that the company has a similar growth figure when compared with the industry average growth rate of 19% in the same period.
Earnings growth is an important metric to consider when valuing a stock. What investors need to determine next is if the expected earnings growth, or the lack of it, is already built into the share price. Doing so will help them establish if the stock's future looks promising or ominous. Has the market priced in the future outlook for 5101? You can find out in our latest intrinsic value infographic research report.
Yokohama Rubber Company's three-year median payout ratio to shareholders is 21% (implying that it retains 79% of its income), which is on the lower side, so it seems like the management is reinvesting profits heavily to grow its business.
Besides, Yokohama Rubber Company has been paying dividends for at least ten years or more. This shows that the company is committed to sharing profits with its shareholders.
On the whole, we do feel that Yokohama Rubber Company 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. On studying current analyst estimates, we found that analysts expect the company to continue its recent growth streak. 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.