Yahoo Finance Could The Market Be Wrong About James Hardie Industries plc (ASX:JHX) Given Its Attractive Financial Prospects?
With its stock down 17% over the past three months, it is easy to disregard James Hardie Industries (ASX:JHX). However, stock prices are usually driven by a company’s financial performance over the long term, which in this case looks quite promising. In this article, we decided to focus on James Hardie Industries' ROE.
Return on equity or ROE is an important factor to be considered by a shareholder because it tells them how effectively their capital is being reinvested. Put another way, it reveals the company's success at turning shareholder investments into profits.
See our latest analysis for James Hardie Industries
How To Calculate Return On Equity?
Return on equity 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 James Hardie Industries is:
35% = US$518m ÷ US$1.5b (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2022).
The 'return' is the amount earned after tax over the last twelve months. That means that for every A$1 worth of shareholders' equity, the company generated A$0.35 in profit.
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. We now need to evaluate how much profit the company reinvests or "retains" for future growth which then gives us an idea about the growth potential of the company. 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 James Hardie Industries' Earnings Growth And 35% ROE
Firstly, we acknowledge that James Hardie Industries has a significantly high ROE. Additionally, the company's ROE is higher compared to the industry average of 18% which is quite remarkable. As a result, James Hardie Industries' exceptional 22% net income growth seen over the past five years, doesn't come as a surprise.
As a next step, we compared James Hardie Industries' 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 7.6%.
The basis for attaching value to a company is, to a great extent, tied to its earnings growth. It’s important for an investor to know whether the market has priced in the company's expected earnings growth (or decline). By doing so, they will have an idea if the stock is headed into clear blue waters or if swampy waters await. Is JHX fairly valued? This infographic on the company's intrinsic value has everything you need to know.
Is James Hardie Industries Making Efficient Use Of Its Profits?
James Hardie Industries' three-year median payout ratio is a pretty moderate 35%, meaning the company retains 65% of its income. This suggests that its dividend is well covered, and given the high growth we discussed above, it looks like James Hardie Industries is reinvesting its earnings efficiently.
Moreover, James Hardie Industries is determined to keep sharing its profits with shareholders which we infer from its long history of paying a dividend for at least ten years. Upon studying the latest analysts' consensus data, we found that the company's future payout ratio is expected to rise to 44% over the next three years. Therefore, the expected rise in the payout ratio explains why the company's ROE is expected to decline to 27% over the same period.
Summary
On the whole, we feel that James Hardie Industries' performance has been quite good. In particular, it's great to see that the company is investing heavily into its business and along with a high rate of return, that has resulted in a sizeable growth in its earnings. With that said, the latest industry analyst forecasts reveal that the company's earnings growth is expected to slow down. 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.
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