Many investors are still learning about the various metrics that can be useful when analysing a stock. This article is for those who would like to learn about Return On Equity (ROE). To keep the lesson grounded in practicality, we’ll use ROE to better understand Viad Corp (NYSE:VVI).
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.
Check out our latest analysis for Viad
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 Viad is:
13% = US$44m ÷ US$327m (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2024).
The ‘return’ is the income the business earned over the last year. One way to conceptualize this is that for each $1 of shareholders’ capital it has, the company made $0.13 in profit.
One simple way to determine if a company has a good return on equity is to compare it to the average for its industry. The limitation of this approach is that some companies are quite different from others, even within the same industry classification. You can see in the graphic below that Viad has an ROE that is fairly close to the average for the Commercial Services industry (11%).
That’s neither particularly good, nor bad. Although the ROE is similar to the industry, we should still perform further checks to see if the company’s ROE is being boosted by high debt levels. If true, then it is more an indication of risk than the potential.
Virtually all companies need money to invest in the business, to grow profits. That cash can come from retained earnings, issuing new shares (equity), or debt. 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. In this manner the use of debt will boost ROE, even though the core economics of the business stay the same.
Viad does use a high amount of debt to increase returns. It has a debt to equity ratio of 1.00. While its ROE is respectable, it is worth keeping in mind that there is usually a limit as to how much debt a company can use. Debt increases risk and reduces options for the company in the future, so you generally want to see some good returns from using it.
