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Is Expeditors International of Washington, Inc.'s (NYSE:EXPD) Stock's Recent Performance Being Led By Its Attractive Financial Prospects?

Expeditors International of Washington (NYSE:EXPD) has had a great run on the share market with its stock up by a significant 5.9% over the last month. Since the market usually pay for a company’s long-term fundamentals, we decided to study the company’s key performance indicators to see if they could be influencing the market. Specifically, we decided to study Expeditors International of Washington's ROE in this article.

ROE or return on equity is a useful tool to assess how effectively a company can generate returns on the investment it received from its shareholders. Put another way, it reveals the company's success at turning shareholder investments into profits.

View our latest analysis for Expeditors International of Washington

How Is ROE Calculated?

ROE can be calculated by using the formula:

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

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So, based on the above formula, the ROE for Expeditors International of Washington is:

32% = US$696m ÷ US$2.2b (Based on the trailing twelve months to March 2024).

The 'return' is the profit over the last twelve months. Another way to think of that is that for every $1 worth of equity, the company was able to earn $0.32 in profit.

What Is The Relationship Between ROE And Earnings Growth?

We have already established that ROE serves as an efficient profit-generating gauge for a company's future earnings. 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. 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.

A Side By Side comparison of Expeditors International of Washington's Earnings Growth And 32% ROE

First thing first, we like that Expeditors International of Washington has an impressive ROE. Secondly, even when compared to the industry average of 15% the company's ROE is quite impressive. This probably laid the groundwork for Expeditors International of Washington's moderate 12% net income growth seen over the past five years.

Next, on comparing Expeditors International of Washington's net income growth with the industry, we found that the company's reported growth is similar to the industry average growth rate of 15% over the last few years.

past-earnings-growth
past-earnings-growth

Earnings growth is a huge factor in stock valuation. What investors need to determine next is if the expected earnings growth, or the lack of it, is already built into the share price. By doing so, they will have an idea if the stock is headed into clear blue waters or if swampy waters await. If you're wondering about Expeditors International of Washington's's valuation, check out this gauge of its price-to-earnings ratio, as compared to its industry.

Is Expeditors International of Washington Using Its Retained Earnings Effectively?

In Expeditors International of Washington's case, its respectable earnings growth can probably be explained by its low three-year median payout ratio of 17% (or a retention ratio of 83%), which suggests that the company is investing most of its profits to grow its business.

Moreover, Expeditors International of Washington is determined to keep sharing its profits with shareholders which we infer from its long history of paying a dividend for at least ten years. Upon studying the latest analysts' consensus data, we found that the company's future payout ratio is expected to rise to 33% over the next three years. However, the company's ROE is not expected to change by much despite the higher expected payout ratio.

Conclusion

Overall, we are quite pleased with Expeditors International of Washington's performance. Particularly, we like that the company is reinvesting heavily into its business, and at a high rate of return. Unsurprisingly, this has led to an impressive earnings growth. 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 company's future earnings growth forecasts take a look at this free report on analyst forecasts for the company to find out more.

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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.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com