Elders Limited's (ASX:ELD) Fundamentals Look Pretty Strong: Could The Market Be Wrong About The Stock?

editorial-team@simplywallst.com (Simply Wall St)

Sat, Nov 11, 2023, 5:18 PM 3 min read

With its stock down 18% over the past three months, it is easy to disregard Elders (ASX:ELD). But if you pay close attention, you might gather that its strong financials could mean that the stock could potentially see an increase in value in the long-term, given how markets usually reward companies with good financial health. Specifically, we decided to study Elders' ROE in this article.

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.

Check out our latest analysis for Elders

How Is ROE Calculated?

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 Elders is:

15% = AU$128m ÷ AU$857m (Based on the trailing twelve months to March 2023).

The 'return' is the income the business earned over the last year. So, this means that for every A$1 of its shareholder's investments, the company generates a profit of A$0.15.

What Has ROE Got To Do With Earnings Growth?

We have already established that ROE serves as an efficient profit-generating gauge for a company's future earnings. 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 Elders' Earnings Growth And 15% ROE

To begin with, Elders seems to have a respectable ROE. Further, the company's ROE compares quite favorably to the industry average of 5.3%. Probably as a result of this, Elders was able to see a decent growth of 15% over the last five years.

Next, on comparing with the industry net income growth, we found that Elders' growth is quite high when compared to the industry average growth of 11% in the same period, which is great to see.

past-earnings-growth — ASX:ELD Past Earnings Growth November 12th 2023

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. Is Elders fairly valued compared to other companies? These 3 valuation measures might help you decide.

Is Elders Making Efficient Use Of Its Profits?

Elders has a three-year median payout ratio of 44%, which implies that it retains the remaining 56% of its profits. This suggests that its dividend is well covered, and given the decent growth seen by the company, it looks like management is reinvesting its earnings efficiently.

Moreover, Elders is determined to keep sharing its profits with shareholders which we infer from its long history of six years of paying a dividend. Our latest analyst data shows that the future payout ratio of the company over the next three years is expected to be approximately 51%. Regardless, Elders' ROE is speculated to decline to 11% despite there being no anticipated change in its payout ratio.

Conclusion

On the whole, we feel that Elders' 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. That being so, according to the latest industry analyst forecasts, the company's earnings are expected to shrink in the future. To know more about the latest analysts predictions for the company, check out this visualization of analyst forecasts for the company.

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.