LTC Properties, Inc. (NYSE:LTC) Is Up But Financials Look Inconsistent: Which Way Is The Stock Headed?

LTC Properties’ (NYSE:LTC) stock is up by 4.5% over the past week. However, the company’s financials look a bit inconsistent and market outcomes are ultimately driven by long-term fundamentals, meaning that the stock could head in either direction. Particularly, we will be paying attention to LTC Properties’ ROE today.

Return on equity or ROE is a key measure used to assess how efficiently a company’s management is utilizing the company’s capital. Simply put, it is used to assess the profitability of a company in relation to its equity capital.

See our latest analysis for LTC Properties

How Do You Calculate Return On Equity?

ROE can be calculated by using the formula:

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

So, based on the above formula, the ROE for LTC Properties is:

8.1% = US$61m ÷ US$753m (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2021).

The ‘return’ refers to a company’s earnings over the last year. So, this means that for every $1 of its shareholder’s investments, the company generates a profit of $0.08.

What Has ROE Got To Do With Earnings Growth?

So far, we’ve learned that ROE is a measure of a company’s profitability. 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. Assuming everything else remains unchanged, the higher the ROE and profit retention, the higher the growth rate of a company compared to companies that don’t necessarily bear these characteristics.

LTC Properties’ Earnings Growth And 8.1% ROE

At first glance, LTC Properties’ ROE doesn’t look very promising. However, the fact that the its ROE is quite higher to the industry average of 6.6% doesn’t go unnoticed by us. But seeing LTC Properties’ five year net income decline of 4.0% over the past five years, we might rethink that. Remember, the company’s ROE is a bit low to begin with, just that it is higher than the industry average. Therefore, the decline in earnings could also be the result of this.

That being said, we compared LTC Properties’ performance with the industry and were concerned when we found that while the company has shrunk its earnings, the industry has grown its earnings at a rate of 9.0% in the same period.

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 LTC Properties”s valuation, check out this gauge of its price-to-earnings ratio, as compared to its industry.

Is LTC Properties Efficiently Re-investing Its Profits?

LTC Properties has a very high three-year median payout ratio of 76%, implying that it retains only 24% of its profits. However, it’s not unusual to see a REIT with such a high payout ratio mainly due to statutory requirements. So this probably explains the company’s shrinking earnings.

Additionally, LTC Properties has paid dividends over a period of at least ten years, which means that the company’s management is determined to pay dividends even if it means little to no earnings growth. Our latest analyst data shows that the future payout ratio of the company over the next three years is expected to be approximately 87%.

Conclusion

Overall, we have mixed feelings about LTC Properties. On the one hand, the company does have a decent rate of return, however, its earnings growth number is quite disappointing and as discussed earlier, the low retained earnings is hampering the growth. That being so, the latest industry analyst forecasts show that the analysts are expecting to see a huge improvement in the company’s earnings growth rate. Are these analysts expectations based on the broad expectations for the industry, or on the company’s fundamentals? Click here to be taken to our analyst’s forecasts page 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.