It is hard to get excited after looking at Pangaea Logistics Solutions' (NASDAQ:PANL) recent performance, when its stock has declined 12% over the past month. However, stock prices are usually driven by a company’s financials over the long term, which in this case look pretty respectable. In this article, we decided to focus on Pangaea Logistics Solutions' ROE.

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.

Check out our latest analysis for Pangaea Logistics Solutions

How Is ROE Calculated?

ROE can be calculated by using the formula:

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

So, based on the above formula, the ROE for Pangaea Logistics Solutions is:

10% = US$39m ÷ US$377m (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2024).

The 'return' is the yearly profit. So, this means that for every $1 of its shareholder's investments, the company generates a profit of $0.10.

Why Is ROE Important For 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. Generally speaking, other things being equal, firms with a high return on equity and profit retention, have a higher growth rate than firms that don’t share these attributes.

Pangaea Logistics Solutions' Earnings Growth And 10% ROE

When you first look at it, Pangaea Logistics Solutions' ROE doesn't look that attractive. However, its ROE is similar to the industry average of 12%, so we won't completely dismiss the company. Looking at Pangaea Logistics Solutions' exceptional 25% five-year net income growth in particular, we are definitely impressed. Given the slightly low ROE, it is likely that there could be some other aspects that are driving this growth. Such as - high earnings retention or an efficient management in place.

As a next step, we compared Pangaea Logistics Solutions' net income growth with the industry and were disappointed to see that the company's growth is lower than the industry average growth of 41% in the same period.

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. This then helps them determine if the stock is placed for a bright or bleak future. 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 Pangaea Logistics Solutions is trading on a high P/E or a low P/E, relative to its industry.

Is Pangaea Logistics Solutions Making Efficient Use Of Its Profits?

Pangaea Logistics Solutions' ' three-year median payout ratio is on the lower side at 17% implying that it is retaining a higher percentage (83%) of its profits. So it seems like the management is reinvesting profits heavily to grow its business and this reflects in its earnings growth number.

Additionally, Pangaea Logistics Solutions has paid dividends over a period of five years which means that the company is pretty serious about sharing its profits with shareholders. Our latest analyst data shows that the future payout ratio of the company is expected to rise to 41% over the next three years. Therefore, the expected rise in the payout ratio explains why the company's ROE is expected to decline to 8.3% over the same period.

Conclusion

Overall, we feel that Pangaea Logistics Solutions certainly does have some positive factors to consider. That is, a decent growth in earnings backed by a high rate of reinvestment. However, we do feel that that earnings growth could have been higher if the business were to improve on the low ROE rate. Especially given how the company is reinvesting a huge chunk of its profits. Having said that, the company's earnings growth is expected to slow down, as forecasted in the current analyst estimates. 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.