Yahoo Finance Pan African Resources PLC's (LON:PAF) Stock's On An Uptrend: Are Strong Financials Guiding The Market?
Pan African Resources' (LON:PAF) stock is up by a considerable 38% over the past three months. Given the company's impressive performance, we decided to study its financial indicators more closely as a company's financial health over the long-term usually dictates market outcomes. Specifically, we decided to study Pan African Resources' 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. Simply put, it is used to assess the profitability of a company in relation to its equity capital.
View our latest analysis for Pan African Resources
How To Calculate Return On Equity?
The formula for return on equity is:
Return on Equity = Net Profit (from continuing operations) ÷ Shareholders' Equity
So, based on the above formula, the ROE for Pan African Resources is:
23% = US$74m ÷ US$327m (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2023).
The 'return' is the amount earned after tax over the last twelve months. That means that for every £1 worth of shareholders' equity, the company generated £0.23 in profit.
What Has ROE Got To Do With 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 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.
A Side By Side comparison of Pan African Resources' Earnings Growth And 23% ROE
Firstly, we acknowledge that Pan African Resources has a significantly high ROE. Secondly, even when compared to the industry average of 8.1% the company's ROE is quite impressive. This probably laid the groundwork for Pan African Resources' moderate 13% net income growth seen over the past five years.
As a next step, we compared Pan African Resources' 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 9.9%.
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. This then helps them determine if the stock is placed for a bright or bleak future. If you're wondering about Pan African Resources''s valuation, check out this gauge of its price-to-earnings ratio, as compared to its industry.
Is Pan African Resources Making Efficient Use Of Its Profits?
Pan African Resources has a three-year median payout ratio of 30%, which implies that it retains the remaining 70% of its profits. This suggests that its dividend is well covered, and given the decent growth seen by the company, it looks like management is reinvesting its earnings efficiently.
Besides, Pan African Resources has been paying dividends for at least ten years or more. This shows that the company is committed to sharing profits with its shareholders. Our latest analyst data shows that the future payout ratio of the company is expected to drop to 21% over the next three years. Regardless, the ROE is not expected to change much for the company despite the lower expected payout ratio.
Summary
Overall, we are quite pleased with Pan African Resources' performance. Particularly, we like that the company is reinvesting heavily into its business, and at a high rate of return. Unsurprisingly, this has led to an impressive earnings growth. That being so, the latest analyst forecasts show that the company will continue to see an expansion in its earnings. 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.
