Return on Equity
A
publicly-traded company's
earnings divided by the amount of
money invested in
stock, expressed as a percentage. This is a measure of how well the company is
investing the
money invested in it. A high return on equity indicates that the company is spending wisely and is likely profitable; a low return on equity indicates the opposite. As a result, high returns on equity lead to higher
stock prices. Some analysts believe that return on equity is the single most important
indicator of publicly-traded companies' health. See also:
Growth stock.
Farlex Financial Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All Rights Reserved
return on equity (ROE)
A measure of the net income that a firm is able to earn as a percent of stockholders' investment. Many analysts consider ROE the single most important financial ratio applying to stockholders and the best measure of performance by a firm's management. Return on equity is calculated by dividing net income after taxes by owners' equity. Compare
profitability ratio. See also
return on common stock equity.
Wall Street Words: An A to Z Guide to Investment Terms for Today's Investor by David L. Scott. Copyright © 2003 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. All rights reserved.
Return on equity.
Return on equity (ROE) measures how much a company earns within a specific period in relation to the amount that's invested in its common stock.
It is calculated by dividing the company's net income before common stock dividends are paid by the company's net worth, which is the stockholders' equity.
If the ROE is higher than the company's return on assets, it may be a sign that management is using leverage to increase profits and profit margins.
In general, it's considered a sign of good management when a company's performance over time is at least as good as the average return on equity for other companies in the same industry.
return on equity
see RETURN ON SHAREHOLDERS' FUNDS.Collins Dictionary of Business, 3rd ed. © 2002, 2005 C Pass, B Lowes, A Pendleton, L Chadwick, D O’Reilly and M Afferson
return on equity
See equity dividend.The Complete Real Estate Encyclopedia by Denise L. Evans, JD & O. William Evans, JD. Copyright © 2007 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.