Canadian Apartment Properties Real Estate Investment Trust's (TSE:CAR.UN) Stock is Soaring But Financials Seem Inconsistent: Will The Uptrend Continue?

Canadian Apartment Properties Real Estate Investment Trust's (TSE:CAR.UN) stock is up by a considerable 16% over the past three months. However, we decided to pay attention to the company's fundamentals which don't appear to give a clear sign about the company's financial health. Specifically, we decided to study Canadian Apartment Properties Real Estate Investment Trust'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. In other words, it is a profitability ratio which measures the rate of return on the capital provided by the company's shareholders.

See our latest analysis for Canadian Apartment Properties Real Estate Investment Trust

How Is ROE Calculated?

The formula for return on equity is:

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

So, based on the above formula, the ROE for Canadian Apartment Properties Real Estate Investment Trust is:

4.1% = CA$400m ÷ CA$9.8b (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2022).

The 'return' is the income the business earned over the last year. That means that for every CA$1 worth of shareholders' equity, the company generated CA$0.04 in profit.

What Is The Relationship Between ROE And Earnings Growth?

So far, we've learned that ROE is a measure of a company's profitability. 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.

Canadian Apartment Properties Real Estate Investment Trust's Earnings Growth And 4.1% ROE

On the face of it, Canadian Apartment Properties Real Estate Investment Trust's ROE is not much to talk about. We then compared the company's ROE to the broader industry and were disappointed to see that the ROE is lower than the industry average of 13%. Therefore, Canadian Apartment Properties Real Estate Investment Trust's flat earnings over the past five years can possibly be explained by the low ROE amongst other factors.

We then compared Canadian Apartment Properties Real Estate Investment Trust's net income growth with the industry and found that the company's growth figure is lower than the average industry growth rate of 23% in the same period, which is a bit concerning.

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. 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 Canadian Apartment Properties Real Estate Investment Trust's's valuation, check out this gauge of its price-to-earnings ratio, as compared to its industry.

Is Canadian Apartment Properties Real Estate Investment Trust Efficiently Re-investing Its Profits?

In spite of a normal three-year median payout ratio of 45% (or a retention ratio of 55%), Canadian Apartment Properties Real Estate Investment Trust hasn't seen much growth in its earnings. So there could be some other explanation in that regard. For instance, the company's business may be deteriorating.

Moreover, Canadian Apartment Properties Real Estate Investment Trust has been paying dividends for at least ten years or more suggesting that management must have perceived that the shareholders prefer dividends over earnings growth.

Summary

On the whole, we feel that the performance shown by Canadian Apartment Properties Real Estate Investment Trust can be open to many interpretations. Even though it appears to be retaining most of its profits, given the low ROE, investors may not be benefitting from all that reinvestment after all. The low earnings growth suggests our theory correct. Having said that, looking at the current analyst estimates, we found that the company's earnings are expected to gain momentum. 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.

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

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.

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