Will Weakness in Catalyst Pharmaceuticals, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:CPRX) Stock Prove Temporary Given Strong Fundamentals?
With its stock down 17% over the past three months, it is easy to disregard Catalyst Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:CPRX). 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 Catalyst Pharmaceuticals' ROE.
Return on Equity or ROE is a test of how effectively a company is growing its value and managing investors’ money. In simpler terms, it measures the profitability of a company in relation to shareholder's equity.
View our latest analysis for Catalyst Pharmaceuticals
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 Catalyst Pharmaceuticals is:
30% = US$99m ÷ US$334m (Based on the trailing twelve months to March 2023).
The 'return' refers to a company's earnings over the last year. Another way to think of that is that for every $1 worth of equity, the company was able to earn $0.30 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. 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. 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.
Catalyst Pharmaceuticals' Earnings Growth And 30% ROE
First thing first, we like that Catalyst Pharmaceuticals has an impressive ROE. Additionally, the company's ROE is higher compared to the industry average of 23% which is quite remarkable. As a result, Catalyst Pharmaceuticals' exceptional 50% net income growth seen over the past five years, doesn't come as a surprise.
As a next step, we compared Catalyst Pharmaceuticals' net income growth with the industry, and pleasingly, we found that the growth seen by the company is higher than the average industry growth of 32%.
Earnings growth is a huge factor in stock valuation. It’s important for an investor to know whether the market has priced in the company's expected earnings growth (or decline). Doing so will help them establish if the stock's future looks promising or ominous. 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 Catalyst Pharmaceuticals is trading on a high P/E or a low P/E, relative to its industry.
Is Catalyst Pharmaceuticals Using Its Retained Earnings Effectively?
Given that Catalyst Pharmaceuticals doesn't pay any dividend to its shareholders, we infer that the company has been reinvesting all of its profits to grow its business.
Conclusion
In total, we are pretty happy with Catalyst Pharmaceuticals' performance. Specifically, we like that the company is reinvesting a huge chunk of its profits at a high rate of return. This of course has caused the company to see substantial growth in its earnings. Having said that, the company's earnings growth is expected to slow down, as forecasted in the current analyst estimates. To know more about the latest analysts predictions for the company, check out this visualization of analyst forecasts for the company.
Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.
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.
Join A Paid User Research Session
You’ll receive a US$30 Amazon Gift card for 1 hour of your time while helping us build better investing tools for the individual investors like yourself. Sign up here
