Are Strong Financial Prospects The Force That Is Driving The Momentum In CMC Materials, Inc.'s NASDAQ:CCMP) Stock?
Most readers would already be aware that CMC Materials' (NASDAQ:CCMP) stock increased significantly by 23% over the past three months. Given that the market rewards strong financials in the long-term, we wonder if that is the case in this instance. In this article, we decided to focus on CMC Materials' 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. In short, ROE shows the profit each dollar generates with respect to its shareholder investments.
See our latest analysis for CMC Materials
How To 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 CMC Materials is:
12% = US$136m ÷ US$1.1b (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2020).
The 'return' is the yearly profit. One way to conceptualize this is that for each $1 of shareholders' capital it has, the company made $0.12 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 CMC Materials' Earnings Growth And 12% ROE
At first glance, CMC Materials seems to have a decent ROE. Further, the company's ROE is similar to the industry average of 12%. This probably goes some way in explaining CMC Materials' moderate 14% growth over the past five years amongst other factors.
As a next step, we compared CMC Materials' net income growth with the industry and found that the company has a similar growth figure when compared with the industry average growth rate of 14% in the same period.
The basis for attaching value to a company is, to a great extent, tied to its earnings growth. The investor should try to establish if the expected growth or decline in earnings, whichever the case may be, is priced in. Doing so will help them establish if the stock's future looks promising or ominous. If you're wondering about CMC Materials''s valuation, check out this gauge of its price-to-earnings ratio, as compared to its industry.
Is CMC Materials Making Efficient Use Of Its Profits?
CMC Materials has a three-year median payout ratio of 35%, which implies that it retains the remaining 65% of its profits. This suggests that its dividend is well covered, and given the decent growth seen by the company, it looks like management is reinvesting its earnings efficiently.
Besides, CMC Materials has been paying dividends over a period of five years. 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 is expected to drop to 23% over the next three years.
Conclusion
In total, we are pretty happy with CMC Materials' 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 sizeable growth in its earnings. On studying current analyst estimates, we found that analysts expect the company to continue its recent growth streak. 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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