With its stock down 43% over the past three months, it is easy to disregard EZZ Life Science Holdings (ASX:EZZ). However, stock prices are usually driven by a company’s financial performance over the long term, which in this case looks quite promising. Specifically, we decided to study EZZ Life Science Holdings' ROE in this article.

Return on equity or ROE is a key measure used to assess how efficiently a company's management is utilizing the company's capital. Put another way, it reveals the company's success at turning shareholder investments into profits.

View our latest analysis for EZZ Life Science Holdings

How Do You Calculate Return On Equity?

The formula for ROE is:

Return on Equity = Net Profit (from continuing operations) ÷ Shareholders' Equity

So, based on the above formula, the ROE for EZZ Life Science Holdings is:

33% = AU$7.0m ÷ AU$21m (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2024).

The 'return' refers to a company's earnings over the last year. Another way to think of that is that for every A$1 worth of equity, the company was able to earn A$0.33 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. 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.

EZZ Life Science Holdings' Earnings Growth And 33% ROE

Firstly, we acknowledge that EZZ Life Science Holdings has a significantly high ROE. Additionally, the company's ROE is higher compared to the industry average of 8.7% which is quite remarkable. Under the circumstances, EZZ Life Science Holdings' considerable five year net income growth of 33% was to be expected.

Next, on comparing with the industry net income growth, we found that EZZ Life Science Holdings' growth is quite high when compared to the industry average growth of 16% in the same period, which is great to see.

The basis for attaching value to a company is, to a great extent, tied to its earnings growth. What investors need to determine next is if the expected earnings growth, or the lack of it, is already built into the share price. This then helps them determine if the stock is placed for a bright or bleak future. If you're wondering about EZZ Life Science Holdings''s valuation, check out this gauge of its price-to-earnings ratio, as compared to its industry.

Is EZZ Life Science Holdings Making Efficient Use Of Its Profits?

EZZ Life Science Holdings' three-year median payout ratio to shareholders is 20%, which is quite low. This implies that the company is retaining 80% of its profits. So it looks like EZZ Life Science Holdings is reinvesting profits heavily to grow its business, which shows in its earnings growth.

Besides, EZZ Life Science Holdings has been paying dividends over a period of three years. This shows that the company is committed to sharing profits with its shareholders.

Summary

Overall, we are quite pleased with EZZ Life Science Holdings' performance. 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. With that said, the latest industry analyst forecasts reveal that the company's earnings growth is expected to slow down. 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.

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.