Declining Stock and Decent Financials: Is The Market Wrong About Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. (NASDAQ:CBRL)?
It is hard to get excited after looking at Cracker Barrel Old Country Store's (NASDAQ:CBRL) recent performance, when its stock has declined 15% over the past three months. But if you pay close attention, you might find that its key financial indicators look quite decent, which could mean that the stock could potentially rise in the long-term given how markets usually reward more resilient long-term fundamentals. Particularly, we will be paying attention to Cracker Barrel Old Country Store's ROE today.
Return on equity or ROE is a key measure used to assess how efficiently a company's management is utilizing the company's capital. In other words, it is a profitability ratio which measures the rate of return on the capital provided by the company's shareholders.
See our latest analysis for Cracker Barrel Old Country Store
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 Cracker Barrel Old Country Store is:
19% = US$117m ÷ US$629m (Based on the trailing twelve months to October 2021).
The 'return' refers to a company's earnings over the last year. That means that for every $1 worth of shareholders' equity, the company generated $0.19 in profit.
Why Is ROE Important For 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.
A Side By Side comparison of Cracker Barrel Old Country Store's Earnings Growth And 19% ROE
At first glance, Cracker Barrel Old Country Store seems to have a decent ROE. Even when compared to the industry average of 16% the company's ROE looks quite decent. As you might expect, the 12% net income decline reported by Cracker Barrel Old Country Store is a bit of a surprise. So, there might be some other aspects that could explain this. For example, it could be that the company has a high payout ratio or the business has allocated capital poorly, for instance.
As a next step, we compared Cracker Barrel Old Country Store's performance with the industry and found thatCracker Barrel Old Country Store's performance is depressing even when compared with the industry, which has shrunk its earnings at a rate of 2.2% in the same period, which is a slower than the company.
Earnings growth is a huge factor in stock valuation. What investors need to determine next is if the expected earnings growth, or the lack of it, is already built into the share price. By doing so, they will have an idea if the stock is headed into clear blue waters or if swampy waters await. Has the market priced in the future outlook for CBRL? You can find out in our latest intrinsic value infographic research report.
Is Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Making Efficient Use Of Its Profits?
Cracker Barrel Old Country Store has a high three-year median payout ratio of 55% (that is, it is retaining 45% of its profits). This suggests that the company is paying most of its profits as dividends to its shareholders. This goes some way in explaining why its earnings have been shrinking. The business is only left with a small pool of capital to reinvest - A vicious cycle that doesn't benefit the company in the long-run.
Additionally, Cracker Barrel Old Country Store has paid dividends over a period of at least ten years, which means that the company's management is determined to pay dividends even if it means little to no earnings growth.
Summary
Overall, we feel that Cracker Barrel Old Country Store certainly does have some positive factors to consider. However, while the company does have a high ROE, its earnings growth number is quite disappointing. This can be blamed on the fact that it reinvests only a small portion of its profits and pays out the rest as dividends. Having said that, looking at current analyst estimates, we found that the company's earnings growth rate is expected to see a huge improvement. 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.
