Yahoo Finance Will Weakness in Persimmon Plc's (LON:PSN) Stock Prove Temporary Given Strong Fundamentals?
It is hard to get excited after looking at Persimmon's (LON:PSN) recent performance, when its stock has declined 5.6% 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 Persimmon'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. In short, ROE shows the profit each dollar generates with respect to its shareholder investments.
See our latest analysis for Persimmon
How Do You Calculate Return On Equity?
ROE 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 Persimmon is:
22% = UK£792m ÷ UK£3.6b (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2021).
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 £0.22 in profit.
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. 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. Generally speaking, other things being equal, firms with a high return on equity and profit retention, have a higher growth rate than firms that don’t share these attributes.
Persimmon's Earnings Growth And 22% ROE
First thing first, we like that Persimmon has an impressive ROE. Secondly, even when compared to the industry average of 12% the company's ROE is quite impressive. Yet, Persimmon has posted measly growth of 2.5% over the past five years. That's a bit unexpected from a company which has such a high rate of return. Such a scenario is likely to take place when a company pays out a huge portion of its earnings as dividends, or is faced with competitive pressures.
When you consider the fact that the industry earnings have shrunk at a rate of 6.8% in the same period, the company's net income growth is pretty remarkable.
Earnings growth is a huge factor in stock valuation. 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 PSN fairly valued? This infographic on the company's intrinsic value has everything you need to know.
Is Persimmon Efficiently Re-investing Its Profits?
The high three-year median payout ratio of 53% (that is, the company retains only 47% of its income) over the past three years for Persimmon suggests that the company's earnings growth was lower as a result of paying out a majority of its earnings.
Additionally, Persimmon has paid dividends over a period of at least ten years, which means that the company's management is determined to pay dividends even if it means little to no earnings growth. Our latest analyst data shows that the future payout ratio of the company is expected to rise to 91% over the next three years. However, the company's ROE is not expected to change by much despite the higher expected payout ratio.
Summary
On the whole, we feel that Persimmon's performance has been quite good. We are particularly impressed by the considerable earnings growth posted by the company, which was likely backed by its high ROE. While the company is paying out most of its earnings as dividends, it has been able to grow its earnings in spite of it, so that's probably a good sign. With that said, the latest industry analyst forecasts reveal that the company's earnings growth is expected to slow down. To know more about the latest analysts predictions for the company, check out this visualization of analyst forecasts for the company.
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.
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