DICK'S Sporting Goods (NYSE:DKS) has had a rough three months with its share price down 19%. However, stock prices are usually driven by a company’s financial performance over the long term, which in this case looks quite promising. Specifically, we decided to study DICK'S Sporting Goods' 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. In simpler terms, it measures the profitability of a company in relation to shareholder's equity.
How Is ROE Calculated?
The formula for ROE is:
Return on Equity = Net Profit (from continuing operations) ÷ Shareholders' Equity
So, based on the above formula, the ROE for DICK'S Sporting Goods is:
36% = US$1.2b ÷ US$3.2b (Based on the trailing twelve months to February 2025).
The 'return' refers to a company's earnings over the last year. One way to conceptualize this is that for each $1 of shareholders' capital it has, the company made $0.36 in profit.
See our latest analysis for DICK'S Sporting Goods
What Has ROE Got To Do With Earnings Growth?
Thus far, we have learned that ROE measures how efficiently a company is generating its profits. We now need to evaluate how much profit the company reinvests or "retains" for future growth which then gives us an idea about the growth potential of the company. 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.
DICK'S Sporting Goods' Earnings Growth And 36% ROE
To begin with, DICK'S Sporting Goods has a pretty high ROE which is interesting. Secondly, even when compared to the industry average of 18% the company's ROE is quite impressive. This likely paved the way for the modest 16% net income growth seen by DICK'S Sporting Goods over the past five years.
Next, on comparing DICK'S Sporting Goods' net income growth with the industry, we found that the company's reported growth is similar to the industry average growth rate of 14% over the last few years.
Earnings growth is an important metric to consider when valuing a stock. It’s important for an investor to know whether the market has priced in the company's expected earnings growth (or decline). This then helps them determine if the stock is placed for a bright or bleak future. Has the market priced in the future outlook for DKS? You can find out in our latest intrinsic value infographic research report.
Is DICK'S Sporting Goods Making Efficient Use Of Its Profits?
DICK'S Sporting Goods has a three-year median payout ratio of 27%, which implies that it retains the remaining 73% of its profits. This suggests that its dividend is well covered, and given the decent growth seen by the company, it looks like management is reinvesting its earnings efficiently.
Moreover, DICK'S Sporting Goods 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. Our latest analyst data shows that the future payout ratio of the company is expected to rise to 34% over the next three years. However, the company's ROE is not expected to change by much despite the higher expected payout ratio.
Conclusion
On the whole, we feel that DICK'S Sporting Goods' performance has been quite good. In particular, it's great to see that the company is investing heavily into its business and along with a high rate of return, that has resulted in a sizeable growth in its earnings. 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.