Simulations Plus Inc (NASDAQ:SLP) delivered an ROE of 23.85% over the past 12 months, which is an impressive feat relative to its industry average of 9.57% during the same period. On the surface, this looks fantastic since we know that SLP has made large profits from little equity capital; however, ROE doesn’t tell us if management have borrowed heavily to make this happen. Today, we’ll take a closer look at some factors like financial leverage to see how sustainable SLP’s ROE is. Check out our latest analysis for Simulations Plus
Breaking down Return on Equity
Return on Equity (ROE) is a measure of SLP’s profit relative to its shareholders’ equity. An ROE of 23.85% implies $0.24 returned on every $1 invested. In most cases, a higher ROE is preferred; however, there are many other factors we must consider prior to making any investment decisions.
Return on Equity = Net Profit ÷ Shareholders Equity
ROE is assessed against cost of equity, which is measured using the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) – but let’s not dive into the details of that today. For now, let’s just look at the cost of equity number for SLP, which is 11.01%. Given a positive discrepancy of 12.84% between return and cost, this indicates that SLP pays less for its capital than what it generates in return, which is a sign of capital efficiency. ROE can be dissected into three distinct ratios: net profit margin, asset turnover, and financial leverage. This is called the Dupont Formula:
Dupont Formula
ROE = profit margin × asset turnover × financial leverage
ROE = (annual net profit ÷ sales) × (sales ÷ assets) × (assets ÷ shareholders’ equity)
ROE = annual net profit ÷ shareholders’ equity
Basically, profit margin measures how much of revenue trickles down into earnings which illustrates how efficient SLP is with its cost management. The other component, asset turnover, illustrates how much revenue SLP can make from its asset base. The most interesting ratio, and reflective of sustainability of its ROE, is financial leverage. Since ROE can be artificially increased through excessive borrowing, we should check SLP’s historic debt-to-equity ratio. Currently, SLP has no debt which means its returns are driven purely by equity capital. Therefore, the level of financial leverage has no impact on ROE, and the ratio is a representative measure of the efficiency of all its capital employed firm-wide.
What this means for you:
Are you a shareholder? SLP’s ROE is impressive relative to the industry average and also covers its cost of equity. Since its high ROE is not likely driven by high debt, it might be a good time to top up on your current holdings if your fundamental research reaffirms this analysis. If you’re looking for new ideas for high-returning stocks, you should take a look at our free platform to see the list of stocks with Return on Equity over 20%.