Most readers would already be aware that Casey's General Stores' (NASDAQ:CASY) stock increased significantly by 19% over the past three months. Given the company's impressive performance, we decided to study its financial indicators more closely as a company's financial health over the long-term usually dictates market outcomes. In this article, we decided to focus on Casey's General Stores' ROE.
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.
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 Casey's General Stores is:
16% = US$547m ÷ US$3.5b (Based on the trailing twelve months to April 2025).
The 'return' is the amount earned after tax over the last twelve months. One way to conceptualize this is that for each $1 of shareholders' capital it has, the company made $0.16 in profit.
Check out our latest analysis for Casey's General Stores
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. 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. Assuming all else is equal, companies that have both a higher return on equity and higher profit retention are usually the ones that have a higher growth rate when compared to companies that don't have the same features.
Casey's General Stores' Earnings Growth And 16% ROE
To start with, Casey's General Stores' ROE looks acceptable. Further, the company's ROE is similar to the industry average of 14%. This probably goes some way in explaining Casey's General Stores' moderate 14% growth over the past five years amongst other factors.
We then compared Casey's General Stores' net income growth with the industry and we're pleased to see that the company's growth figure is higher when compared with the industry which has a growth rate of 11% in the same 5-year period.
Earnings growth is an important metric to consider when valuing a stock. The investor should try to establish if the expected growth or decline in earnings, whichever the case may be, is priced in. Doing so will help them establish if the stock's future looks promising or ominous. Is CASY fairly valued? This infographic on the company's intrinsic value has everything you need to know.
Is Casey's General Stores Making Efficient Use Of Its Profits?
In Casey's General Stores' case, its respectable earnings growth can probably be explained by its low three-year median payout ratio of 13% (or a retention ratio of 87%), which suggests that the company is investing most of its profits to grow its business.
Moreover, Casey's General Stores 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 over the next three years is expected to be approximately 13%. Therefore, the company's future ROE is also not expected to change by much with analysts predicting an ROE of 15%.
Summary
On the whole, we feel that Casey's General Stores' performance has been quite good. 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. That being so, a study of the latest analyst forecasts show that the company is expected to see a slowdown in its future earnings growth. 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.