China Testing & Certification International GroupLtd (SHSE:603060) has had a great run on the share market with its stock up by a significant 8.4% over the last month. Given the company's impressive performance, we decided to study its financial indicators more closely as a company's financial health over the long-term usually dictates market outcomes. Specifically, we decided to study China Testing & Certification International GroupLtd's ROE in this article.

Return on Equity or ROE is a test of how effectively a company is growing its value and managing investors' money. In short, ROE shows the profit each dollar generates with respect to its shareholder investments.

How To 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 China Testing & Certification International GroupLtd is:

11% = CN¥256m ÷ CN¥2.3b (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2023).

The 'return' refers to a company's earnings over the last year. One way to conceptualize this is that for each CN¥1 of shareholders' capital it has, the company made CN¥0.11 in profit.

What Is The Relationship Between ROE And 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.

A Side By Side comparison of China Testing & Certification International GroupLtd's Earnings Growth And 11% ROE

When you first look at it, China Testing & Certification International GroupLtd's ROE doesn't look that attractive. However, the fact that the company's ROE is higher than the average industry ROE of 7.1%, is definitely interesting. This probably goes some way in explaining China Testing & Certification International GroupLtd's moderate 6.6% growth over the past five years amongst other factors. 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.

Next, on comparing with the industry net income growth, we found that China Testing & Certification International GroupLtd's growth is quite high when compared to the industry average growth of 2.9% in the same period, which is great to see.

Earnings growth is an important metric to consider when valuing a stock. It's important for an investor to know whether the market has priced in the company's expected earnings growth (or decline). Doing so will help them establish if the stock's future looks promising or ominous. If you're wondering about China Testing & Certification International GroupLtd's's valuation, check out this gauge of its price-to-earnings ratio, as compared to its industry.

Is China Testing & Certification International GroupLtd Using Its Retained Earnings Effectively?

With a three-year median payout ratio of 33% (implying that the company retains 67% of its profits), it seems that China Testing & Certification International GroupLtd is reinvesting efficiently in a way that it sees respectable amount growth in its earnings and pays a dividend that's well covered.

Moreover, China Testing & Certification International GroupLtd is determined to keep sharing its profits with shareholders which we infer from its long history of seven years of paying 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 36%. Still, forecasts suggest that China Testing & Certification International GroupLtd's future ROE will rise to 17% even though the the company's payout ratio is not expected to change by much.

Summary

In total, we are pretty happy with China Testing & Certification International GroupLtd's performance. Specifically, we like that it has been reinvesting a high portion of its profits at a moderate rate of return, resulting in earnings expansion. Having said that, looking at the current analyst estimates, we found that the company's earnings are expected to gain momentum. 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.