Many investors are still learning about the various metrics that can be useful when analysing a stock. This p0299 can am x3article is for those who would like to learn about Return On Equity (ROE). We'll use ROE to examine Energean Oil & Gas plc (
LON:ENOG
), by way of a worked example.
Our data shows
Energean Oil & Gas has a return on equity of 0.8%
for the last year. One way to conceptualize this, is that for each £1 of shareholders' equity it has, the company made £0.01 in profit.
View our latest analysis for Energean Oil & Gas
How Do I Calculate ROE?
The
formula for ROE
is:
Return on Equity = Net Profit (from continuing operations) ÷ Shareholders' Equity
Or for Energean Oil & Gas:
0.8% = US$8.9m ÷ US$1.1b (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2019.)
Most know that net profit is the total earnings after all expenses, but the concept of shareholders' equity is a little more complicated. It is all the money paid into the company from shareholders, plus any earnings retained. You can calculate shareholders' equity by subtracting the company's total liabilities from its total assets.
What Does Return On Equity Signify?
ROE measures a company's profitability against the profit it retains, and any outside investments. The 'return' is the amount earned after tax over the last twelve months. That means that the higher the ROE, the more profitable the company is. So, as a general rule,
a high ROE is a good thing
. Clearly, then, one can use ROE to compare different companies.
Does Energean Oil & Gas Have A Good Return On Equity?
One simple way to determine if a company has a good return on equity is to compare it to the average for its industry. Importantly, this is far from a perfect measure, because companies differ significantly within the same industry classification. As is clear from the image below, Energean Oil & Gas has a lower ROE than the average (13%) in the Oil and Gas industry.
LSE:ENOG Past Revenue and Net Income, January 1st 2020
That certainly isn't ideal. We prefer it when the ROE of a company is above the industry average, but it's not the be-all and end-all if it is lower. Nonetheless, it might be wise to
check if insiders have been selling
.
How Does Debt Impact ROE?
Companies usually need to invest money to grow their profits. The cash for investment can come from prior year profits (retained earnings), issuing new shares, or borrowing. In the first and second cases, the ROE will reflect this use of cash for investment in the business. In the latter case, the debt used for growth will improve returns, but won't affect the total equity. That will make the ROE look better than if no debt was used.
Story continues
Combining Energean Oil & Gas's Debt And Its 0.8% Return On Equity
Although Energean Oil & Gas does use debt, its debt to equity ratio of 0.40 is still low. Its ROE is certainly on the low side, and since it already uses debt, we're not too excited about the company. Judicious use of debt to improve returns can certainly be a good thing, although it does elevate risk slightly and reduce future optionality.
The Bottom Line On ROE
Return on equity is useful for comparing the quality of different businesses. A company that can achieve a high return on equity without debt could be considered a high quality business. All else being equal, a higher ROE is better.
Having said that, while ROE is a useful indicator of business quality, you'll have to look at a whole range of factors to determine the right price to buy a stock. The rate at which profits are likely to grow, relative to the expectations of profit growth reflected in the current price, must be considered, too. So I think it may be worth checking this
free
report on analyst forecasts for the company
.
But note:
Energean Oil & Gas may not be the best stock to buy
. So take a peek at this
free
list of interesting companies with high ROE and low debt.
If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at
. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned.
We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading.
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