Yahoo Finance PRO DV AG's (ETR:PDA) Stock Has Been Sliding But Fundamentals Look Strong: Is The Market Wrong?
PRO DV (ETR:PDA) has had a rough three months with its share price down 8.3%. However, stock prices are usually driven by a company’s financial performance over the long term, which in this case looks quite promising. Particularly, we will be paying attention to PRO DV's ROE today.
Return on equity or ROE is a key measure used to assess how efficiently a company's management is utilizing the company's capital. Put another way, it reveals the company's success at turning shareholder investments into profits.
See our latest analysis for PRO DV
How Do You 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 PRO DV is:
30% = €380k ÷ €1.3m (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2023).
The 'return' is the income the business earned over the last year. That means that for every €1 worth of shareholders' equity, the company generated €0.30 in profit.
Why Is ROE Important For 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.
PRO DV's Earnings Growth And 30% ROE
To begin with, PRO DV has a pretty high ROE which is interesting. Additionally, the company's ROE is higher compared to the industry average of 10% which is quite remarkable. As a result, PRO DV's exceptional 53% net income growth seen over the past five years, doesn't come as a surprise.
As a next step, we compared PRO DV'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 15%.
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). Doing so will help them establish if the stock's future looks promising or ominous. One good indicator of expected earnings growth is the P/E ratio which determines the price the market is willing to pay for a stock based on its earnings prospects. So, you may want to check if PRO DV is trading on a high P/E or a low P/E, relative to its industry.
Is PRO DV Making Efficient Use Of Its Profits?
PRO DV doesn't pay any dividend currently which essentially means that it has been reinvesting all of its profits into the business. This definitely contributes to the high earnings growth number that we discussed above.
Conclusion
On the whole, we feel that PRO DV'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. Not to forget, share price outcomes are also dependent on the potential risks a company may face. So it is important for investors to be aware of the risks involved in the business. Our risks dashboard would have the 3 risks we have identified for PRO DV.
Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.
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.
