Utah Medical Products, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:UTMD) Stock's On An Uptrend: Are Strong Financials Guiding The Market?
Utah Medical Products (NASDAQ:UTMD) has had a great run on the share market with its stock up by a significant 6.6% over the last month. Given the company's impressive performance, we decided to study its financial indicators more closely as a company's financial health over the long-term usually dictates market outcomes. Particularly, we will be paying attention to Utah Medical Products' ROE today.
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 Utah Medical Products
How Do You 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 Utah Medical Products is:
14% = US$16m ÷ US$114m (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2022).
The 'return' is the amount earned after tax over the last twelve months. So, this means that for every $1 of its shareholder's investments, the company generates a profit of $0.14.
Why Is ROE Important For Earnings Growth?
Thus far, we have learned that ROE measures how efficiently a company is generating its profits. We now need to evaluate how much profit the company reinvests or "retains" for future growth which then gives us an idea about the growth potential of the company. 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.
Utah Medical Products' Earnings Growth And 14% ROE
To begin with, Utah Medical Products seems to have a respectable ROE. Further, the company's ROE compares quite favorably to the industry average of 11%. This certainly adds some context to Utah Medical Products' decent 5.2% net income growth seen over the past five years.
We then compared Utah Medical Products' 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. It’s important for an investor to know whether the market has priced in the company's expected earnings growth (or decline). This then helps them determine if the stock is placed for a bright or bleak future. Has the market priced in the future outlook for UTMD? You can find out in our latest intrinsic value infographic research report
Is Utah Medical Products Using Its Retained Earnings Effectively?
With a three-year median payout ratio of 28% (implying that the company retains 72% of its profits), it seems that Utah Medical Products is reinvesting efficiently in a way that it sees respectable amount growth in its earnings and pays a dividend that's well covered.
Besides, Utah Medical Products has been paying dividends for at least ten years or more. This shows that the company is committed to sharing profits with its shareholders.
Conclusion
Overall, we are quite pleased with Utah Medical Products' 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 respectable growth in its earnings.
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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.
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