It is hard to get excited after looking at Fletcher Building's (NZSE:FBU) recent performance, when its stock has declined 14% over the past three months. However, stock prices are usually driven by a company’s financials over the long term, which in this case look pretty respectable. Particularly, we will be paying attention to Fletcher Building's ROE today.

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.

View our latest analysis for Fletcher Building

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 Fletcher Building is:

1.0% = NZ$34m ÷ NZ$3.4b (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2023).

The 'return' is the income the business earned over the last year. So, this means that for every NZ$1 of its shareholder's investments, the company generates a profit of NZ$0.01.

What Is The Relationship Between ROE And Earnings Growth?

So far, we've learned that ROE is a measure of a company's profitability. 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.

Fletcher Building's Earnings Growth And 1.0% ROE

As you can see, Fletcher Building's ROE looks pretty weak. Even when compared to the industry average of 11%, the ROE figure is pretty disappointing. Fletcher Building was still able to see a decent net income growth of 14% over the past five years. We believe that 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.

Next, on comparing Fletcher Building's net income growth with the industry, we found that the company's reported growth is similar to the industry average growth rate of 14% over the last few years.

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). This then helps them determine if the stock is placed for a bright or bleak future. Has the market priced in the future outlook for FBU? You can find out in our latest intrinsic value infographic research report.