Games Workshop Group PLC's (LON:GAW) Stock Is Going Strong: Is the Market Following Fundamentals?
Games Workshop Group (LON:GAW) has had a great run on the share market with its stock up by a significant 16% over the last three months. Given that the market rewards strong financials in the long-term, we wonder if that is the case in this instance. Specifically, we decided to study Games Workshop Group's ROE in this article.
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 Games Workshop Group
How Is ROE Calculated?
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 Games Workshop Group is:
53% = UK£71m ÷ UK£134m (Based on the trailing twelve months to May 2020).
The 'return' is the profit over the last twelve months. That means that for every £1 worth of shareholders' equity, the company generated £0.53 in profit.
What Is The Relationship Between ROE And Earnings Growth?
We have already established that ROE serves as an efficient profit-generating gauge for a company's future earnings. 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 everything else remains unchanged, the higher the ROE and profit retention, the higher the growth rate of a company compared to companies that don't necessarily bear these characteristics.
Games Workshop Group's Earnings Growth And 53% ROE
Firstly, we acknowledge that Games Workshop Group has a significantly high ROE. Additionally, the company's ROE is higher compared to the industry average of 17% which is quite remarkable. So, the substantial 36% net income growth seen by Games Workshop Group over the past five years isn't overly surprising.
Next, on comparing with the industry net income growth, we found that Games Workshop Group's growth is quite high when compared to the industry average growth of 8.2% in the same period, which is great to see.
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. This then helps them determine if the stock is placed for a bright or bleak future. If you're wondering about Games Workshop Group's's valuation, check out this gauge of its price-to-earnings ratio, as compared to its industry.
Is Games Workshop Group Making Efficient Use Of Its Profits?
The high three-year median payout ratio of 67% (implying that it keeps only 33% of profits) for Games Workshop Group suggests that the company's growth wasn't really hampered despite it returning most of the earnings to its shareholders.
Moreover, Games Workshop Group 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. Upon studying the latest analysts' consensus data, we found that the company is expected to keep paying out approximately 71% of its profits over the next three years.
Summary
On the whole, we feel that Games Workshop Group's performance has been quite good. We are particularly impressed by the considerable earnings growth posted by the company, which was likely backed by its high ROE. While the company is paying out most of its earnings as dividends, it has been able to grow its earnings in spite of it, so that's probably a good sign. That being so, a study of the latest analyst forecasts show that the company is expected to see a slowdown in its future earnings growth. Are these analysts expectations based on the broad expectations for the industry, or on the company's fundamentals? Click here to be taken to our analyst's forecasts page for the company.
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.
Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com.
