Kinder Morgan, Inc. (NYSE:KMI) Is Going Strong But Fundamentals Appear To Be Mixed : Is There A Clear Direction For The Stock?
Kinder Morgan (NYSE:KMI) has had a great run on the share market with its stock up by a significant 16% over the last three months. However, we decided to pay attention to the company's fundamentals which don't appear to give a clear sign about the company's financial health. Particularly, we will be paying attention to Kinder Morgan's ROE today.
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. Put another way, it reveals the company's success at turning shareholder investments into profits.
View our latest analysis for Kinder Morgan
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 Kinder Morgan is:
5.7% = US$1.9b ÷ US$33b (Based on the trailing twelve months to March 2021).
The 'return' is the profit over the last twelve months. One way to conceptualize this is that for each $1 of shareholders' capital it has, the company made $0.06 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.
Kinder Morgan's Earnings Growth And 5.7% ROE
When you first look at it, Kinder Morgan's ROE doesn't look that attractive. Next, when compared to the average industry ROE of 14%, the company's ROE leaves us feeling even less enthusiastic. Despite this, surprisingly, Kinder Morgan saw an exceptional 28% net income growth over the past five years. Therefore, there could be other reasons behind this growth. Such as - high earnings retention or an efficient management in place.
Next, on comparing with the industry net income growth, we found that Kinder Morgan's growth is quite high when compared to the industry average growth of 5.3% 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). By doing so, they will have an idea if the stock is headed into clear blue waters or if swampy waters await. What is KMI worth today? The intrinsic value infographic in our free research report helps visualize whether KMI is currently mispriced by the market.
Is Kinder Morgan Making Efficient Use Of Its Profits?
Kinder Morgan has very a high three-year median payout ratio of 123% suggesting that the company's shareholders are getting paid from more than just the company's earnings. In spite of this, the company was able to grow its earnings significantly, as we saw above. With that said, it could be worth keeping an eye on the high payout ratio as that's a huge risk. You can see the 4 risks we have identified for Kinder Morgan by visiting our risks dashboard for free on our platform here.
Besides, Kinder Morgan has been paying dividends for at least ten years or more. This shows that the company is committed to sharing profits with its shareholders. Our latest analyst data shows that the future payout ratio of the company over the next three years is expected to be approximately 114%. However, Kinder Morgan's ROE is predicted to rise to 7.7% despite there being no anticipated change in its payout ratio.
Summary
On the whole, we feel that the performance shown by Kinder Morgan can be open to many interpretations. Although the company has shown a pretty impressive growth in earnings, yet the low ROE and the low rate of reinvestment makes us skeptical about the continuity of that growth, especially when or if the business comes to face any threats. With that said, on studying the latest analyst forecasts, we found that while the company has seen growth in its past earnings, analysts expect its future earnings to shrink. 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.
This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. 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.
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