Declining Stock and Solid Fundamentals: Is The Market Wrong About Nine Entertainment Co. Holdings Limited (ASX:NEC)?

It is hard to get excited after looking at Nine Entertainment Holdings’ (ASX:NEC) recent performance, when its stock has declined 4.1% over the past month. But if you pay close attention, you might gather that its strong financials could mean that the stock could potentially see an increase in value in the long-term, given how markets usually reward companies with good financial health. In this article, we decided to focus on Nine Entertainment Holdings’ ROE.

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. Simply put, it is used to assess the profitability of a company in relation to its equity capital.

Check out our latest analysis for Nine Entertainment Holdings

How Is ROE Calculated?

The formula for ROE is:

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

So, based on the above formula, the ROE for Nine Entertainment Holdings is:

10% = AU$195m ÷ AU$1.9b (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2023).

The ‘return’ is the income the business earned 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$0.10 in profit.

What Has ROE Got To Do With Earnings Growth?

We have already established that ROE serves as an efficient profit-generating gauge for a company’s future earnings. We now need to evaluate how much profit the company reinvests or “retains” for future growth which then gives us an idea about the growth potential of the company. 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.

Nine Entertainment Holdings’ Earnings Growth And 10% ROE

To begin with, Nine Entertainment Holdings seems to have a respectable ROE. And on comparing with the industry, we found that the the average industry ROE is similar at 9.6%. This probably goes some way in explaining Nine Entertainment Holdings’ moderate 12% growth over the past five years amongst other factors.

We then compared Nine Entertainment Holdings’ 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 4.0% in the same 5-year period.

The basis for attaching value to a company is, to a great extent, tied to its earnings growth. 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. Is Nine Entertainment Holdings fairly valued compared to other companies? These 3 valuation measures might help you decide.

Is Nine Entertainment Holdings Efficiently Re-investing Its Profits?

While Nine Entertainment Holdings has a three-year median payout ratio of 84% (which means it retains 16% of profits), the company has still seen a fair bit of earnings growth in the past, meaning that its high payout ratio hasn’t hampered its ability to grow.

Additionally, Nine Entertainment Holdings has paid dividends over a period of nine years which means that the company is pretty serious about sharing its profits with shareholders. Based on the latest analysts’ estimates, we found that the company’s future payout ratio over the next three years is expected to hold steady at 74%. However, Nine Entertainment Holdings’ ROE is predicted to rise to 16% despite there being no anticipated change in its payout ratio.

Summary

On the whole, we feel that Nine Entertainment Holdings’ performance has been quite good. Especially the high ROE, Which has contributed to the impressive growth seen in earnings. Despite the company reinvesting only a small portion of its profits, it still has managed to grow its earnings so that is appreciable. The latest industry analyst forecasts show that the company is expected to maintain its current growth rate. 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.