Ramaco Resources (NASDAQ:METC) has had a rough three months with its share price down 24%. However, the company's fundamentals look pretty decent, and long-term financials are usually aligned with future market price movements. In this article, we decided to focus on Ramaco Resources' ROE.

ROE or return on equity is a useful tool to assess how effectively a company can generate returns on the investment it received from its shareholders. In simpler terms, it measures the profitability of a company in relation to shareholder's equity.

View our latest analysis for Ramaco Resources

How Do You Calculate Return On Equity?

The formula for return on equity is:

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

So, based on the above formula, the ROE for Ramaco Resources is:

10% = US$37m ÷ US$362m (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2024).

The 'return' is the yearly profit. One way to conceptualize this is that for each $1 of shareholders' capital it has, the company made $0.10 in profit.

Why Is ROE Important For Earnings Growth?

So far, we've learned that ROE is a measure of a company's profitability. 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. 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.

Ramaco Resources' Earnings Growth And 10% ROE

At first glance, Ramaco Resources' ROE doesn't look very promising. Yet, a closer study shows that the company's ROE is similar to the industry average of 11%. Particularly, the exceptional 31% net income growth seen by Ramaco Resources over the past five years is pretty remarkable. Given the slightly low ROE, it is likely that there could be some other aspects that are driving this growth. For instance, the company has a low payout ratio or is being managed efficiently.

Next, on comparing with the industry net income growth, we found that Ramaco Resources' growth is quite high when compared to the industry average growth of 18% 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. The investor should try to establish if the expected growth or decline in earnings, whichever the case may be, is priced in. By doing so, they will have an idea if the stock is headed into clear blue waters or if swampy waters await. One good indicator of expected earnings growth is the P/E ratio which determines the price the market is willing to pay for a stock based on its earnings prospects. So, you may want to check if Ramaco Resources is trading on a high P/E or a low P/E, relative to its industry.

Is Ramaco Resources Efficiently Re-investing Its Profits?

Ramaco Resources' three-year median payout ratio is a pretty moderate 30%, meaning the company retains 70% of its income. By the looks of it, the dividend is well covered and Ramaco Resources is reinvesting its profits efficiently as evidenced by its exceptional growth which we discussed above.

Moreover, Ramaco Resources is determined to keep sharing its profits with shareholders which we infer from its long history of three years of paying a dividend. Our latest analyst data shows that the future payout ratio of the company is expected to rise to 57% over the next three years.

Conclusion

On the whole, we do feel that Ramaco Resources has some positive attributes. Even in spite of the low rate of return, the company has posted impressive earnings growth as a result of reinvesting heavily into its business. With that said, the latest industry analyst forecasts reveal that the company's earnings are expected to accelerate. To know more about the company's future earnings growth forecasts take a look at this free report on analyst forecasts for the company to find out more.

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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.