ConocoPhillips' (NYSE:COP) stock is up by a considerable 7.3% over the past month. Given that the market rewards strong financials in the long-term, we wonder if that is the case in this instance. Specifically, we decided to study ConocoPhillips' ROE in this article.

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 short, ROE shows the profit each dollar generates with respect to its shareholder investments.

How Do You Calculate Return On Equity?

Return on equity 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 ConocoPhillips is:

20% = US$9.9b ÷ US$50b (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2024).

The 'return' is the income the business earned over the last year. Another way to think of that is that for every $1 worth of equity, the company was able to earn $0.20 in profit.

What Has ROE Got To Do With 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. Assuming all else is equal, companies that have both a higher return on equity and higher profit retention are usually the ones that have a higher growth rate when compared to companies that don't have the same features.

ConocoPhillips' Earnings Growth And 20% ROE

At first glance, ConocoPhillips seems to have a decent ROE. Further, the company's ROE compares quite favorably to the industry average of 15%. Probably as a result of this, ConocoPhillips was able to see an impressive net income growth of 27% over the last five years. However, there could also be other causes behind this growth. Such as - high earnings retention or an efficient management in place.

As a next step, we compared ConocoPhillips' net income growth with the industry and were disappointed to see that the company's growth is lower than the industry average growth of 40% in the same period.

Earnings growth is an important metric to consider when valuing a stock. 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. Has the market priced in the future outlook for COP? You can find out in our latest intrinsic value infographic research report.

Is ConocoPhillips Making Efficient Use Of Its Profits?

ConocoPhillips has a three-year median payout ratio of 42% (where it is retaining 58% of its income) which is not too low or not too high. By the looks of it, the dividend is well covered and ConocoPhillips is reinvesting its profits efficiently as evidenced by its exceptional growth which we discussed above.

Moreover, ConocoPhillips is determined to keep sharing its profits with shareholders which we infer from its long history of paying a dividend for at least ten years. Our latest analyst data shows that the future payout ratio of the company over the next three years is expected to be approximately 41%. Accordingly, forecasts suggest that ConocoPhillips' future ROE will be 19% which is again, similar to the current ROE.

Conclusion

In total, we are pretty happy with ConocoPhillips' 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 respectable growth in its earnings. 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 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.