Beiersdorf Aktiengesellschaft's (ETR:BEI) Stock On An Uptrend: Could Fundamentals Be Driving The Momentum?
Beiersdorf (ETR:BEI) has had a great run on the share market with its stock up by a significant 5.4% over the last month. We wonder if and what role the company's financials play in that price change as a company's long-term fundamentals usually dictate market outcomes. Particularly, we will be paying attention to Beiersdorf's ROE today.
ROE or return on equity is a useful tool to assess how effectively a company can generate returns on the investment it received from its shareholders. In short, ROE shows the profit each dollar generates with respect to its shareholder investments.
Check out our latest analysis for Beiersdorf
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 Beiersdorf is:
8.9% = €750m ÷ €8.4b (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2024).
The 'return' is the yearly profit. So, this means that for every €1 of its shareholder's investments, the company generates a profit of €0.09.
What Is The Relationship Between ROE And Earnings Growth?
Thus far, we have learned that ROE measures how efficiently a company is generating its profits. 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 Beiersdorf's Earnings Growth And 8.9% ROE
To start with, Beiersdorf's ROE looks acceptable. Even so, when compared with the average industry ROE of 12%, we aren't very excited. Additionally, the low net income growth of 3.8% seen by Beiersdorf over the past five years doesn't paint a very bright picture. Bear in mind, the company does have a respectable level of ROE. It is just that the industry ROE is higher. Therefore, the low earnings growth could be the result of other factors. For example, it could be that the company has a high payout ratio or the business has allocated capital poorly, for instance.
As a next step, we compared Beiersdorf'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 3.3% in the same 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). This then helps them determine if the stock is placed for a bright or bleak future. Has the market priced in the future outlook for BEI? You can find out in our latest intrinsic value infographic research report.
Is Beiersdorf Using Its Retained Earnings Effectively?
Beiersdorf has a low three-year median payout ratio of 23% (meaning, the company keeps the remaining 77% of profits) which means that the company is retaining more of its earnings. This should be reflected in its earnings growth number, but that's not the case. So there could be some other explanation in that regard. For instance, the company's business may be deteriorating.
Moreover, Beiersdorf has been paying dividends for at least ten years or more suggesting that management must have perceived that the shareholders prefer dividends over earnings growth. Our latest analyst data shows that the future payout ratio of the company over the next three years is expected to be approximately 19%. Still, forecasts suggest that Beiersdorf's future ROE will rise to 12% even though the the company's payout ratio is not expected to change by much.
Conclusion
In total, it does look like Beiersdorf has some positive aspects to its business. In particular, it's great to see that the company is investing heavily into its business and along with a moderate rate of return, that has resulted in a respectable growth in its earnings. That being so, the latest analyst forecasts show that the company will continue to see an expansion in its earnings. Are these analysts expectations based on the broad expectations for the industry, or on the company's fundamentals? Click here to be taken to our analyst's forecasts page 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.