It is hard to get excited after looking at ATI’s (NYSE:ATI) recent performance, when its stock has declined 24% over the past three months. 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 ATI’s ROE in this article.
ROE or return on equity is a useful tool to assess how effectively a company can generate returns on the investment it received from its shareholders. In simpler terms, it measures the profitability of a company in relation to shareholder’s equity.
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How Is ROE Calculated?
The formula for return on equity is:
Return on Equity = Net Profit (from continuing operations) ÷ Shareholders’ Equity
So, based on the above formula, the ROE for ATI is:
20% = US$383m ÷ US$2.0b (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2024).
The ‘return’ is the amount earned after tax over the last twelve months. Another way to think of that is that for every $1 worth of equity, the company was able to earn $0.20 in profit.
Check out our latest analysis for ATI
Why Is ROE Important For Earnings Growth?
We have already established that ROE serves as an efficient profit-generating gauge for a company’s future earnings. 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.
ATI’s Earnings Growth And 20% ROE
To begin with, ATI seems to have a respectable ROE. On comparing with the average industry ROE of 11% the company’s ROE looks pretty remarkable. This probably laid the ground for ATI’s significant 48% net income growth seen over the past five years. We reckon that there could also be other factors at play here. Such as – high earnings retention or an efficient management in place.
Next, on comparing with the industry net income growth, we found that ATI’s growth is quite high when compared to the industry average growth of 15% in the same period, which is great to see.
Earnings growth is an important metric to consider when valuing a stock. It’s important for an investor to know whether the market has priced in the company’s expected earnings growth (or decline). By doing so, they will have an idea if the stock is headed into clear blue waters or if swampy waters await. Has the market priced in the future outlook for ATI? You can find out in our latest intrinsic value infographic research report.
Is ATI Making Efficient Use Of Its Profits?
ATI doesn’t pay any regular dividends 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
In total, we are pretty happy with ATI’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. Having said that, the company’s earnings growth is expected to slow down, as forecasted in the current analyst estimates. 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.
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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.
