U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc.'s (NYSE:USPH) Stock Has Been Sliding But Fundamentals Look Strong: Is The Market Wrong?
It is hard to get excited after looking at U.S. Physical Therapy's (NYSE:USPH) recent performance, when its stock has declined 7.0% 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 U.S. Physical Therapy's ROE.
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. Put another way, it reveals the company's success at turning shareholder investments into profits.
See our latest analysis for U.S. Physical Therapy
How To Calculate Return On Equity?
The formula for return on equity is:
Return on Equity = Net Profit (from continuing operations) ÷ Shareholders' Equity
So, based on the above formula, the ROE for U.S. Physical Therapy is:
15% = US$64m ÷ US$428m (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 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 $0.15 in profit.
What Has ROE Got To Do With Earnings Growth?
Thus far, we have learned that ROE measures how efficiently a company is generating its profits. 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. Generally speaking, other things being equal, firms with a high return on equity and profit retention, have a higher growth rate than firms that don’t share these attributes.
U.S. Physical Therapy's Earnings Growth And 15% ROE
To start with, U.S. Physical Therapy's ROE looks acceptable. Further, the company's ROE is similar to the industry average of 18%. This probably goes some way in explaining U.S. Physical Therapy's moderate 11% growth over the past five years amongst other factors.
We then compared U.S. Physical Therapy's net income growth with the industry and found that the company's growth figure is lower than the average industry growth rate of 16% in the same 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. Doing so will help them establish if the stock's future looks promising or ominous. What is USPH worth today? The intrinsic value infographic in our free research report helps visualize whether USPH is currently mispriced by the market.
Is U.S. Physical Therapy Making Efficient Use Of Its Profits?
With a three-year median payout ratio of 47% (implying that the company retains 53% of its profits), it seems that U.S. Physical Therapy is reinvesting efficiently in a way that it sees respectable amount growth in its earnings and pays a dividend that's well covered.
Moreover, U.S. Physical Therapy is determined to keep sharing its profits with shareholders which we infer from its long history of paying a dividend for at least ten years.
Summary
On the whole, we feel that U.S. Physical Therapy's performance has been quite good. 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 respectable growth in its earnings. We also studied the latest analyst forecasts and found that the company's earnings growth is expected be similar to 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.
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.
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