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Renasant Corporation (NASDAQ:RNST) generated a below-average return on equity of 6.66% in the past 12 months, while its industry returned 8.48%. Though RNST’s recent performance is underwhelming, it is useful to understand what ROE is made up of and how it should be interpreted. Knowing these components can change your views on RNST’s below-average returns. Today I will look at how components such as financial leverage can influence ROE which may impact the sustainability of RNST’s returns. View our latest analysis for Renasant
Peeling the layers of ROE – trisecting a company’s profitability
Return on Equity (ROE) is a measure of Renasant’s profit relative to its shareholders’ equity. For example, if the company invests $1 in the form of equity, it will generate $0.07 in earnings from this. In most cases, a higher ROE is preferred; however, there are many other factors we must consider prior to making any investment decisions.
Return on Equity = Net Profit ÷ Shareholders Equity
ROE is measured against cost of equity in order to determine the efficiency of Renasant’s equity capital deployed. Its cost of equity is 9.90%. Since Renasant’s return does not cover its cost, with a difference of -3.25%, this means its current use of equity is not efficient and not sustainable. Very simply, Renasant pays more for its capital than what it generates in return. ROE can be split up into three useful ratios: net profit margin, asset turnover, and financial leverage. This is called the Dupont Formula:
Dupont Formula
ROE = profit margin × asset turnover × financial leverage
ROE = (annual net profit ÷ sales) × (sales ÷ assets) × (assets ÷ shareholders’ equity)
ROE = annual net profit ÷ shareholders’ equity
Essentially, profit margin shows how much money the company makes after paying for all its expenses. Asset turnover shows how much revenue Renasant can generate with its current asset base. And finally, financial leverage is simply how much of assets are funded by equity, which exhibits how sustainable the company’s capital structure is. Since ROE can be inflated by excessive debt, we need to examine Renasant’s debt-to-equity level. Currently the debt-to-equity ratio stands at a low 17.69%, which means Renasant still has headroom to take on more leverage in order to increase profits.
Next Steps:
ROE is one of many ratios which meaningfully dissects financial statements, which illustrates the quality of a company. Renasant’s below-industry ROE is disappointing, furthermore, its returns were not even high enough to cover its own cost of equity. However, ROE is not likely to be inflated by excessive debt funding, giving shareholders more conviction in the sustainability of returns, which has headroom to increase further. Although ROE can be a useful metric, it is only a small part of diligent research.