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Does Precinct Properties New Zealand Limited's (NZSE:PCT) Weak Fundamentals Mean That The Stock Could Move In The Opposite Direction?

Most readers would already know that Precinct Properties New Zealand's (NZSE:PCT) stock increased by 3.6% over the past month. However, in this article, we decided to focus on its weak financials, as long-term fundamentals ultimately dictate market outcomes. In this article, we decided to focus on Precinct Properties New Zealand's ROE.

Return on Equity or ROE is a test of how effectively a company is growing its value and managing investors’ money. Simply put, it is used to assess the profitability of a company in relation to its equity capital.

View our latest analysis for Precinct Properties New Zealand

How To Calculate Return On Equity?

The formula for ROE is:

Return on Equity = Net Profit (from continuing operations) ÷ Shareholders' Equity

So, based on the above formula, the ROE for Precinct Properties New Zealand is:

2.8% = NZ$67m ÷ NZ$2.4b (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2021).

The 'return' refers to a company's earnings over the last year. So, this means that for every NZ$1 of its shareholder's investments, the company generates a profit of NZ$0.03.

What Has ROE Got To Do With 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.

Precinct Properties New Zealand's Earnings Growth And 2.8% ROE

As you can see, Precinct Properties New Zealand's ROE looks pretty weak. Not just that, even compared to the industry average of 14%, the company's ROE is entirely unremarkable. For this reason, Precinct Properties New Zealand's five year net income decline of 8.4% is not surprising given its lower ROE. We believe that there also might be other aspects that are negatively influencing the company's earnings prospects. For example, the business has allocated capital poorly, or that the company has a very high payout ratio.

So, as a next step, we compared Precinct Properties New Zealand's performance against the industry and were disappointed to discover that while the company has been shrinking its earnings, the industry has been growing its earnings at a rate of 13% in the same period.

past-earnings-growth
past-earnings-growth

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. Has the market priced in the future outlook for PCT? You can find out in our latest intrinsic value infographic research report.

Is Precinct Properties New Zealand Using Its Retained Earnings Effectively?

Precinct Properties New Zealand seems to be paying out most of its income as dividends judging by its three-year median payout ratio of 88% (meaning, the company retains only 12% of profits). However, this is typical for REITs as they are often required by law to distribute most of their earnings. So this probably explains the company's shrinking earnings.

Moreover, Precinct Properties New Zealand has been paying dividends for at least ten years or more suggesting that management must have perceived that the shareholders prefer dividends over earnings growth. Our latest analyst data shows that the future payout ratio of the company over the next three years is expected to be approximately 100%. Still, forecasts suggest that Precinct Properties New Zealand's future ROE will rise to 4.5% even though the the company's payout ratio is not expected to change by much.

Summary

In total, we would have a hard think before deciding on any investment action concerning Precinct Properties New Zealand. The company has seen a lack of earnings growth as a result of retaining very little profits and whatever little it does retain, is being reinvested at a very low rate of return. That being so, the latest industry analyst forecasts show that the analysts are expecting to see a huge improvement in the company's earnings growth rate. 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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