With its stock down 4.8% over the past week, it is easy to disregard Aptiv (NYSE:APTV). However, stock prices are usually driven by a company’s financial performance over the long term, which in this case looks quite promising. Specifically, we decided to study Aptiv’s ROE in this article.
Return on Equity or ROE is a test of how effectively a company is growing its value and managing investors’ money. Put another way, it reveals the company’s success at turning shareholder investments into profits.
View our latest analysis for Aptiv
How Do You 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 Aptiv is:
10% = US$885m ÷ US$8.5b (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2021).
The ‘return’ refers to a company’s earnings over the last year. One way to conceptualize this is that for each $1 of shareholders’ capital it has, the company made $0.10 in profit.
Why Is ROE Important For 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 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.
Aptiv’s Earnings Growth And 10% ROE
To start with, Aptiv’s ROE looks acceptable. Be that as it may, the company’s ROE is still quite lower than the industry average of 14%. However, the moderate 8.8% net income growth seen by Aptiv over the past five years is definitely a positive. So, there might be other aspects that are positively influencing earnings growth. For instance, the company has a low payout ratio or is being managed efficiently. Bear in mind, the company does have a respectable level of ROE. It is just that the industry ROE is higher. So this also provides some context to the earnings growth seen by the company.
Next, on comparing with the industry net income growth, we found that Aptiv’s growth is quite high when compared to the industry average growth of 2.5% in the same period, which is great to see.
The basis for attaching value to a company is, to a great extent, tied to its earnings growth. 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. If you’re wondering about Aptiv’s’s valuation, check out this gauge of its price-to-earnings ratio, as compared to its industry.
Is Aptiv Efficiently Re-investing Its Profits?
While the company did pay out a portion of its dividend in the past, it currently doesn’t pay a dividend. We infer that the company has been reinvesting all of its profits to grow its business.
Summary
In total, we are pretty happy with Aptiv’s performance. Specifically, we like that it has been reinvesting a high portion of its profits at a moderate rate of return, resulting in earnings expansion. With that said, the latest industry analyst forecasts reveal that the company’s earnings are expected to accelerate. 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. 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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