Yahoo Finance Is Wilmington plc's (LON:WIL) Latest Stock Performance A Reflection Of Its Financial Health?
Most readers would already be aware that Wilmington's (LON:WIL) stock increased significantly by 10% 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 Wilmington's ROE in this article.
Return on equity or ROE is a key measure used to assess how efficiently a company's management is utilizing the company's capital. Simply put, it is used to assess the profitability of a company in relation to its equity capital.
See our latest analysis for Wilmington
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 Wilmington is:
22% = UK£18m ÷ UK£83m (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2023).
The 'return' refers to a company's earnings over the last year. Another way to think of that is that for every £1 worth of equity, the company was able to earn £0.22 in profit.
Why Is ROE Important For 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.
A Side By Side comparison of Wilmington's Earnings Growth And 22% ROE
First thing first, we like that Wilmington has an impressive ROE. Additionally, the company's ROE is higher compared to the industry average of 14% which is quite remarkable. So, the substantial 30% net income growth seen by Wilmington over the past five years isn't overly surprising.
As a next step, we compared Wilmington'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 11%.
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. If you're wondering about Wilmington's's valuation, check out this gauge of its price-to-earnings ratio, as compared to its industry.
Is Wilmington Efficiently Re-investing Its Profits?
The three-year median payout ratio for Wilmington is 42%, which is moderately low. The company is retaining the remaining 58%. By the looks of it, the dividend is well covered and Wilmington is reinvesting its profits efficiently as evidenced by its exceptional growth which we discussed above.
Besides, Wilmington has been paying dividends for at least ten years or more. This shows that the company is committed to sharing profits with its shareholders. Based on the latest analysts' estimates, we found that the company's future payout ratio over the next three years is expected to hold steady at 47%. Accordingly, forecasts suggest that Wilmington's future ROE will be 20% which is again, similar to the current ROE.
Summary
On the whole, we feel that Wilmington's performance has been quite good. Specifically, we like that the company is reinvesting a huge chunk of its profits at a high rate of return. This of course has caused the company to see substantial growth in its earnings. If the company continues to grow its earnings the way it has, that could have a positive impact on its share price given how earnings per share influence long-term share prices. Let's not forget, business risk is also one of the factors that affects the price of the stock. So this is also an important area that investors need to pay attention to before making a decision on any business. Our risks dashboard would have the 2 risks we have identified for Wilmington.
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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.
