Is Internet Union S.A.’s (WSE:IUS) Latest Stock Performance A Reflection Of Its Financial Health?

Internet Union (WSE:IUS) has had a great run on the share market with its stock up by a significant 29% over the last month. Since the market usually pay for a company’s long-term fundamentals, we decided to study the company’s key performance indicators to see if they could be influencing the market. Specifically, we decided to study Internet Union’s ROE in this article.

Return on equity or ROE is a key measure used to assess how efficiently a company’s management is utilizing the company’s capital. Put another way, it reveals the company’s success at turning shareholder investments into profits.

Check out our latest analysis for Internet Union

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 Internet Union is:

17% = zł3.0m ÷ zł17m (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2023).

The ‘return’ is the amount earned after tax over the last twelve months. So, this means that for every PLN1 of its shareholder’s investments, the company generates a profit of PLN0.17.

What Has ROE Got To Do With 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.

Internet Union’s Earnings Growth And 17% ROE

To start with, Internet Union’s ROE looks acceptable. Even when compared to the industry average of 16% the company’s ROE looks quite decent. This probably goes some way in explaining Internet Union’s significant 32% net income growth over the past five years amongst other factors. We believe that there might also be other aspects that are positively influencing the company’s earnings growth. For example, it is possible that the company’s management has made some good strategic decisions, or that the company has a low payout ratio.

Next, on comparing Internet Union’s net income growth with the industry, we found that the company’s reported growth is similar to the industry average growth rate of 28% over the last few years.

The basis for attaching value to a company is, to a great extent, tied to its earnings growth. What investors need to determine next is if the expected earnings growth, or the lack of it, is already built into the share price. 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 Internet Union is trading on a high P/E or a low P/E, relative to its industry.

Is Internet Union Making Efficient Use Of Its Profits?

Internet Union doesn’t pay any dividend to its shareholders, meaning that the company has been reinvesting all of its profits into the business. This is likely what’s driving the high earnings growth number discussed above.

Conclusion

Overall, we are quite pleased with Internet Union’s 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. If the company continues to grow its earnings the way it has, that could have a positive impact on its share price given how earnings per share influence long-term share prices. Let’s not forget, business risk is also one of the factors that affects the price of the stock. So this is also an important area that investors need to pay attention to before making a decision on any business. You can see the 3 risks we have identified for Internet Union by visiting our risks dashboard for free on our platform here.

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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.