Is Weakness In Dr. Martens plc (LON:DOCS) Stock A Sign That The Market Could be Wrong Given Its Strong Financial Prospects?
Dr. Martens (LON:DOCS) has had a rough three months with its share price down 42%. However, a closer look at its sound financials might cause you to think again. Given that fundamentals usually drive long-term market outcomes, the company is worth looking at. Specifically, we decided to study Dr. Martens' 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. In short, ROE shows the profit each dollar generates with respect to its shareholder investments.
Check out our latest analysis for Dr. Martens
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 Dr. Martens is:
51% = UK£177m ÷ UK£347m (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2022).
The 'return' is the amount earned after tax over the last twelve months. That means that for every £1 worth of shareholders' equity, the company generated £0.51 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. 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 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.
Dr. Martens' Earnings Growth And 51% ROE
To begin with, Dr. Martens has a pretty high ROE which is interesting. Secondly, even when compared to the industry average of 17% the company's ROE is quite impressive. So, the substantial 45% net income growth seen by Dr. Martens over the past five years isn't overly surprising.
As a next step, we compared Dr. Martens' net income growth with the industry, and pleasingly, we found that the growth seen by the company is higher than the average industry growth of 18%.
Earnings growth is a huge factor in stock valuation. 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 DOCS? You can find out in our latest intrinsic value infographic research report.
Is Dr. Martens Efficiently Re-investing Its Profits?
The three-year median payout ratio for Dr. Martens is 30%, which is moderately low. The company is retaining the remaining 70%. So it seems that Dr. Martens is reinvesting efficiently in a way that it sees impressive growth in its earnings (discussed above) and pays a dividend that's well covered.
While Dr. Martens has been growing its earnings, it only recently started to pay dividends which likely means that the company decided to impress new and existing shareholders with a dividend. Based on the latest analysts' estimates, we found that the company's future payout ratio over the next three years is expected to hold steady at 34%. Regardless, Dr. Martens' ROE is speculated to decline to 31% despite there being no anticipated change in its payout ratio.
Conclusion
On the whole, we feel that Dr. Martens' performance has been quite good. Particularly, we like that the company is reinvesting heavily into its business, and at a high rate of return. Unsurprisingly, this has led to an impressive earnings growth. With that said, the latest industry analyst forecasts reveal that the company's earnings growth is expected to slow down. To know more about the latest analysts predictions for the company, check out this visualization of analyst forecasts for the company.
Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.
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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