Robert Half International Inc. (NYSE:RHI) Stock Has Shown Weakness Lately But Financials Look Strong: Should Prospective Shareholders Make The Leap?

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Simply Wall St

Fri, May 27, 2022, 4:22 AM 4 min read

It is hard to get excited after looking at Robert Half International's (NYSE:RHI) recent performance, when its stock has declined 28% over the past three months. 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 Robert Half International's ROE today.

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. Simply put, it is used to assess the profitability of a company in relation to its equity capital.

See our latest analysis for Robert Half International

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 Robert Half International is:

45% = US$656m ÷ US$1.5b (Based on the trailing twelve months to March 2022).

The 'return' is the amount earned after tax over the last twelve months. That means that for every $1 worth of shareholders' equity, the company generated $0.45 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. Based on how much of its profits the company chooses to reinvest or "retain", we are then able to evaluate a company's future ability to generate profits. 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 Robert Half International's Earnings Growth And 45% ROE

First thing first, we like that Robert Half International has an impressive ROE. Secondly, even when compared to the industry average of 17% the company's ROE is quite impressive. Probably as a result of this, Robert Half International was able to see a decent net income growth of 10.0% over the last five years.

As a next step, we compared Robert Half International's net income growth with the industry and were disappointed to see that the company's growth is lower than the industry average growth of 16% in the same period.

past-earnings-growth — NYSE:RHI Past Earnings Growth May 27th 2022

Earnings growth is a huge factor in stock valuation. What investors need to determine next is if the expected earnings growth, or the lack of it, is already built into the share price. By doing so, they will have an idea if the stock is headed into clear blue waters or if swampy waters await. Has the market priced in the future outlook for RHI? You can find out in our latest intrinsic value infographic research report.

Is Robert Half International Efficiently Re-investing Its Profits?

With a three-year median payout ratio of 32% (implying that the company retains 68% of its profits), it seems that Robert Half International is reinvesting efficiently in a way that it sees respectable amount growth in its earnings and pays a dividend that's well covered.

Additionally, Robert Half International has paid dividends over a period of at least ten years which means that the company is pretty serious about sharing its profits with shareholders. Based on the latest analysts' estimates, we found that the company's future payout ratio over the next three years is expected to hold steady at 29%. Still, forecasts suggest that Robert Half International's future ROE will drop to 32% even though the the company's payout ratio is not expected to change by much.

Conclusion

On the whole, we feel that Robert Half International's 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 respectable growth in its earnings. With that said, on studying the latest analyst forecasts, we found that while the company has seen growth in its past earnings, analysts expect its future earnings to shrink. 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.