Permian Resources (NYSE:PR) has had a rough month with its share price down 12%. However, stock prices are usually driven by a company’s financials over the long term, which in this case look pretty respectable. Specifically, we decided to study Permian Resources’ 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. Put another way, it reveals the company’s success at turning shareholder investments into profits.

See our latest analysis for Permian Resources

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 Permian Resources is:

9.5% = US$889m ÷ US$9.3b (Based on the trailing twelve months to March 2024).

The ‘return’ refers to a company’s earnings over the last year. So, this means that for every $1 of its shareholder’s investments, the company generates a profit of $0.10.

What Is The Relationship Between ROE And Earnings Growth?

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

Permian Resources’ Earnings Growth And 9.5% ROE

At first glance, Permian Resources’ ROE doesn’t look very promising. Next, when compared to the average industry ROE of 18%, the company’s ROE leaves us feeling even less enthusiastic. In spite of this, Permian Resources was able to grow its net income considerably, at a rate of 51% in the last five years. Therefore, there could be other reasons behind this growth. For instance, the company has a low payout ratio or is being managed efficiently.

Next, on comparing with the industry net income growth, we found that Permian Resources’ growth is quite high when compared to the industry average growth of 38% in the same period, which is great to see.

Earnings growth is a huge factor in stock valuation. The investor should try to establish if the expected growth or decline in earnings, whichever the case may be, is priced in. By doing so, they will have an idea if the stock is headed into clear blue waters or if swampy waters await. One good indicator of expected earnings growth is the P/E ratio which determines the price the market is willing to pay for a stock based on its earnings prospects. So, you may want to check if Permian Resources is trading on a high P/E or a low P/E, relative to its industry.

Is Permian Resources Efficiently Re-investing Its Profits?

Permian Resources has a really low three-year median payout ratio of 20%, meaning that it has the remaining 80% left over to reinvest into its business. This suggests that the management is reinvesting most of the profits to grow the business as evidenced by the growth seen by the company.

While Permian Resources has seen growth in its earnings, it only recently started to pay a dividend. It is most likely that the company decided to impress new and existing shareholders with a dividend. Looking at the current analyst consensus data, we can see that the company’s future payout ratio is expected to rise to 31% over the next three years. Still, forecasts suggest that Permian Resources’ future ROE will rise to 12% even though the the company’s payout ratio is expected to rise. We presume that there could some other characteristics of the business that could be driving the anticipated growth in the company’s ROE.

Summary

Overall, we feel that Permian Resources certainly does have some positive factors to consider. With a high rate of reinvestment, albeit at a low ROE, the company has managed to see a considerable growth in its earnings. 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.

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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.