With its stock down 15% over the past three months, it is easy to disregard Wingara (ASX:WNR). But if you pay close attention, you might find that its key financial indicators look quite decent, which could mean that the stock could potentially rise in the long-term given how markets usually reward more resilient long-term fundamentals. In this article, we decided to focus on Wingara’s ROE.
Return on equity or ROE is a key measure used to assess how efficiently a company’s management is utilizing the company’s capital. Simply put, it is used to assess the profitability of a company in relation to its equity capital.
Check out our latest analysis for Wingara
How To Calculate Return On Equity?
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 Wingara is:
6.2% = AU$1.0m ÷ AU$17m (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2019).
The ‘return’ is the income the business earned over the last year. So, this means that for every A$1 of its shareholder’s investments, the company generates a profit of A$0.06.
Why Is ROE Important For Earnings Growth?
Thus far, we have learnt that ROE measures how efficiently a company is generating its profits. Depending on how much of these profits the company reinvests or “retains”, and how effectively it does so, we are then able to assess a company’s earnings growth potential. 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.
Wingara’s Earnings Growth And 6.2% ROE
On the face of it, Wingara’s ROE is not much to talk about. A quick further study shows that the company’s ROE doesn’t compare favorably to the industry average of 8.5% either. However, we we’re pleasantly surprised to see that Wingara grew its net income at a significant rate of 65% in the last five years. So, there might be other aspects that are positively influencing the company’s earnings growth. For instance, the company has a low payout ratio or is being managed efficiently.
We then compared Wingara’s net income growth with the industry and we’re pleased to see that the company’s growth figure is higher when compared with the industry which has a growth rate of 5.5% in the same period.

ASX:WNR Past Earnings Growth May 1st 2020
The basis for attaching value to a company is, to a great extent, tied to its earnings growth. 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. Is Wingara fairly valued compared to other companies? These 3 valuation measures might help you decide.
Is Wingara Making Efficient Use Of Its Profits?
Wingara doesn’t pay any dividend currently which essentially means that it has been reinvesting all of its profits into the business. This definitely contributes to the high earnings growth number that we discussed above.
Conclusion
In total, it does look like Wingara has some positive aspects to its business. Even in spite of the low rate of return, the company has posted impressive earnings growth as a result of reinvesting heavily into its business. While we won’t completely dismiss the company, what we would do, is try to ascertain how risky the business is to make a more informed decision around the company. To know the 5 risks we have identified for Wingara visit our risks dashboard for free.
If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at [email protected]. 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. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned.
We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading.