Is CITIC Metal Co., Ltd’s (SHSE:601061) Stock’s Recent Performance Being Led By Its Attractive Financial Prospects?

Most readers would already be aware that CITIC Metal’s (SHSE:601061) stock increased significantly by 15% over the past three months. Since the market usually pay for a company’s long-term fundamentals, we decided to study the company’s key performance indicators to see if they could be influencing the market. Specifically, we decided to study CITIC Metal’s 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. In simpler terms, it measures the profitability of a company in relation to shareholder’s equity.

Check out our latest analysis for CITIC Metal

How Do You 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 CITIC Metal is:

10% = CN¥2.2b ÷ CN¥21b (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2024).

The ‘return’ is the income the business earned over the last year. That means that for every CN¥1 worth of shareholders’ equity, the company generated CN¥0.10 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. 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.

CITIC Metal’s Earnings Growth And 10% ROE

At first glance, CITIC Metal’s ROE doesn’t look very promising. However, the fact that the its ROE is quite higher to the industry average of 5.7% doesn’t go unnoticed by us. Consequently, this likely laid the ground for the decent growth of 14% seen over the past five years by CITIC Metal. Bear in mind, the company does have a moderately low ROE. It is just that the industry ROE is lower. So there might well be other reasons for the earnings to grow. E.g the company has a low payout ratio or could belong to a high growth industry.

We then compared CITIC Metal’s net income growth with the industry and we’re pleased to see that the company’s growth figure is higher when compared with the industry which has a growth rate of 9.2% in the same 5-year period.

Earnings growth is a huge factor in stock valuation. The investor should try to establish if the expected growth or decline in earnings, whichever the case may be, is priced in. This then helps them determine if the stock is placed for a bright or bleak future. Is CITIC Metal fairly valued compared to other companies? These 3 valuation measures might help you decide.

Is CITIC Metal Using Its Retained Earnings Effectively?

With a three-year median payout ratio of 35% (implying that the company retains 65% of its profits), it seems that CITIC Metal is reinvesting efficiently in a way that it sees respectable amount growth in its earnings and pays a dividend that’s well covered.

While CITIC Metal has seen growth in its earnings, it only recently started to pay a dividend. It is most likely that the company decided to impress new and existing shareholders with 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 35%. Accordingly, forecasts suggest that CITIC Metal’s future ROE will be 9.2% which is again, similar to the current ROE.

Conclusion

Overall, we are quite pleased with CITIC Metal’s performance. In particular, it’s great to see that the company has seen significant growth in its earnings backed by a respectable ROE and a high reinvestment rate. 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. You can see the 3 risks we have identified for CITIC Metal by visiting our risks dashboard for free on our platform here.

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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.