Most readers would already be aware that Shanghai Fudan Microelectronics Group's (HKG:1385) stock increased significantly by 23% over the past month. As most would know, fundamentals are what usually guide market price movements over the long-term, so we decided to look at the company's key financial indicators today to determine if they have any role to play in the recent price movement. Specifically, we decided to study Shanghai Fudan Microelectronics Group'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.

See our latest analysis for Shanghai Fudan Microelectronics Group

How Is ROE Calculated?

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 Shanghai Fudan Microelectronics Group is:

7.8% = CN¥496m ÷ CN¥6.3b (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2024).

The 'return' refers to a company's earnings over the last year. That means that for every HK$1 worth of shareholders' equity, the company generated HK$0.08 in profit.

Why Is ROE Important For 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. Assuming everything else remains unchanged, the higher the ROE and profit retention, the higher the growth rate of a company compared to companies that don't necessarily bear these characteristics.

A Side By Side comparison of Shanghai Fudan Microelectronics Group's Earnings Growth And 7.8% ROE

When you first look at it, Shanghai Fudan Microelectronics Group's ROE doesn't look that attractive. However, its ROE is similar to the industry average of 7.1%, so we won't completely dismiss the company. Moreover, we are quite pleased to see that Shanghai Fudan Microelectronics Group's net income grew significantly at a rate of 41% over the last five years. Considering the moderately low ROE, it is quite possible that there might be some other aspects that are positively influencing the company's earnings growth. For example, it is possible that the company's management has made some good strategic decisions, or that the company has a low payout ratio.

We then compared Shanghai Fudan Microelectronics Group'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 14% in the same 5-year period.

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. Doing so will help them establish if the stock's future looks promising or ominous. Is Shanghai Fudan Microelectronics Group fairly valued compared to other companies? These 3 valuation measures might help you decide.

Is Shanghai Fudan Microelectronics Group Using Its Retained Earnings Effectively?

Shanghai Fudan Microelectronics Group's three-year median payout ratio to shareholders is 11%, which is quite low. This implies that the company is retaining 89% of its profits. This suggests that the management is reinvesting most of the profits to grow the business as evidenced by the growth seen by the company.

Additionally, Shanghai Fudan Microelectronics Group 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. Our latest analyst data shows that the future payout ratio of the company is expected to drop to 8.7% over the next three years. As a result, the expected drop in Shanghai Fudan Microelectronics Group's payout ratio explains the anticipated rise in the company's future ROE to 12%, over the same period.

Summary

Overall, we feel that Shanghai Fudan Microelectronics Group certainly does have some positive factors to consider. Despite its low rate of return, the fact that the company reinvests a very high portion of its profits into its business, no doubt contributed to its high earnings growth. We also studied the latest analyst forecasts and found that the company's earnings growth is expected be similar to its current growth rate. 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.