It is hard to get excited after looking at ReposiTrak's (NYSE:TRAK) recent performance, when its stock has declined 21% over the past three months. However, stock prices are usually driven by a company’s financial performance over the long term, which in this case looks quite promising. In this article, we decided to focus on ReposiTrak's ROE.

Return on equity or ROE is an important factor to be considered by a shareholder because it tells them how effectively their capital is being reinvested. In other words, it is a profitability ratio which measures the rate of return on the capital provided by the company's shareholders.

How Do You Calculate Return On Equity?

Return on equity 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 ReposiTrak is:

14% = US$7.1m ÷ US$50m (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2025).

The 'return' refers to a company's earnings over the last year. That means that for every $1 worth of shareholders' equity, the company generated $0.14 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.

A Side By Side comparison of ReposiTrak's Earnings Growth And 14% ROE

To start with, ReposiTrak's ROE looks acceptable. Even when compared to the industry average of 13% the company's ROE looks quite decent. This certainly adds some context to ReposiTrak's exceptional 20% net income growth seen over the past five years. We reckon that there could also be other factors at play here. Such as - high earnings retention or an efficient management in place.

As a next step, we compared ReposiTrak's net income growth with the industry and found that the company has a similar growth figure when compared with the industry average growth rate of 25% in the same period.

The basis for attaching value to a company is, to a great extent, tied to its earnings growth. 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 ReposiTrak fairly valued compared to other companies? These 3 valuation measures might help you decide.

Is ReposiTrak Using Its Retained Earnings Effectively?

ReposiTrak's ' three-year median payout ratio is on the lower side at 21% implying that it is retaining a higher percentage (79%) of its profits. So it seems like the management is reinvesting profits heavily to grow its business and this reflects in its earnings growth number.

Moreover, ReposiTrak is determined to keep sharing its profits with shareholders which we infer from its long history of three years of paying a dividend.

Conclusion

In total, we are pretty happy with ReposiTrak's performance. 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. The latest industry analyst forecasts show that the company is expected to maintain its current growth rate. 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.

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.