Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance (KRX:000810) has had a great run on the share market with its stock up by a significant 10% over the last three months. As most would know, fundamentals are what usually guide market price movements over the long-term, so we decided to look at the company's key financial indicators today to determine if they have any role to play in the recent price movement. Specifically, we decided to study Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance's ROE in this article.
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 simpler terms, it measures the profitability of a company in relation to shareholder's equity.
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 Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance is:
11% = ₩2.0t ÷ ₩19t (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2025).
The 'return' is the yearly profit. Another way to think of that is that for every ₩1 worth of equity, the company was able to earn ₩0.11 in profit.
Check out our latest analysis for Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance
So far, we've learned that ROE is a measure of a company's profitability. 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 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.
At first glance, Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance's ROE doesn't look very promising. However, its ROE is similar to the industry average of 9.0%, so we won't completely dismiss the company. Even so, Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance has shown a fairly decent growth in its net income which grew at a rate of 17%. Taking into consideration that the ROE is not particularly high, we reckon that there could also be other factors at play which could be influencing the company's growth. Such as - high earnings retention or an efficient management in place.
We then performed a comparison between Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance's net income growth with the industry, which revealed that the company's growth is similar to the average industry growth of 15% in the same 5-year period.
Earnings growth is a huge factor in stock valuation. The investor should try to establish if the expected growth or decline in earnings, whichever the case may be, is priced in. 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 Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance's's valuation, check out this gauge of its price-to-earnings ratio, as compared to its industry.
With a three-year median payout ratio of 45% (implying that the company retains 55% of its profits), it seems that Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance is reinvesting efficiently in a way that it sees respectable amount growth in its earnings and pays a dividend that's well covered.
Besides, Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance has been paying dividends for at least ten years or more. This shows that the company is committed to sharing profits with its shareholders. Based on the latest analysts' estimates, we found that the company's future payout ratio over the next three years is expected to hold steady at 48%. Accordingly, forecasts suggest that Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance's future ROE will be 12% which is again, similar to the current ROE.
Overall, we feel that Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance certainly does have some positive factors to consider. Even in spite of the low rate of return, the company has posted impressive earnings growth as a result of reinvesting heavily into its business. 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 company's future earnings growth forecasts take a look at this free report on analyst forecasts for the company to find out more.
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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.