Hagerty, Inc.'s (NYSE:HGTY) Stock is Soaring But Financials Seem Inconsistent: Will The Uptrend Continue?
Hagerty (NYSE:HGTY) has had a great run on the share market with its stock up by a significant 12% over the last three months. However, we wonder if the company's inconsistent financials would have any adverse impact on the current share price momentum. Specifically, we decided to study Hagerty's 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. Simply put, it is used to assess the profitability of a company in relation to its equity capital.
Check out our latest analysis for Hagerty
How Do You Calculate Return On Equity?
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 Hagerty is:
5.0% = US$25m ÷ US$493m (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2023).
The 'return' is the amount earned after tax over the last twelve months. One way to conceptualize this is that for each $1 of shareholders' capital it has, the company made $0.05 in profit.
What Has ROE Got To Do With 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. 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 Hagerty's Earnings Growth And 5.0% ROE
On the face of it, Hagerty's ROE is not much to talk about. We then compared the company's ROE to the broader industry and were disappointed to see that the ROE is lower than the industry average of 13%. Accordingly, Hagerty's low net income growth of 2.9% over the past five years can possibly be explained by the low ROE amongst other factors.
We then compared Hagerty's net income growth with the industry and found that the company's growth figure is lower than the average industry growth rate of 7.5% in the same 5-year period, which is a bit concerning.
Earnings growth is an important metric to consider when valuing a stock. The investor should try to establish if the expected growth or decline in earnings, whichever the case may be, is priced in. This then helps them determine if the stock is placed for a bright or bleak future. 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 Hagerty is trading on a high P/E or a low P/E, relative to its industry.
Is Hagerty Using Its Retained Earnings Effectively?
Hagerty doesn't pay any dividend, which means that it is retaining all of its earnings. However, there's only been very little earnings growth to show for it. So there could be some other explanation in that regard. For instance, the company's business may be deteriorating.
Summary
On the whole, we feel that the performance shown by Hagerty can be open to many interpretations. While the company does have a high rate of profit retention, its low rate of return is probably hampering its earnings growth. That being so, the latest analyst forecasts show that the company will continue to see an expansion in its earnings. Are these analysts expectations based on the broad expectations for the industry, or on the company's fundamentals? Click here to be taken to our analyst's forecasts page for the company.
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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.
