PME share price in focus
Founded in 1983, Pro Medicus is a provider of radiology IT software serving hospitals, imaging centres and healthcare groups worldwide.
The company’s suite of products focuses on Radiology Information Systems (RIS), Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS), and advanced visualization solutions. These tools support various functions, from patient scheduling and billing to rapid medical imaging interpretation and analysis.
Pro Medicus’ key value proposition lies in its flagship Visage software, which enables radiologists to remotely view large image files generated by X-rays on mobile devices. This capability allows diagnostic decisions to be made on-the-go, potentially improving patient outcomes by providing timely and accessible information.
STO shares
Santos Ltd is one of Australia’s largest oil and gas companies. Founded in the 1950’s, Santos owns and operates one of Australia’s largest portfolios of oil and gas fields, connected by extensive pipelines and complementary facilities.
The company started life as an exploration-focused business, and the name is an acronym for South Australia Northern Territory Oil Search.
Santos has recently faced criticism and court cases over their climate action targets, with the ACCR accusing the company of greenwashing. At present, Santos’ stated goal is to achieve net-zero Scope 1 & 2 emissions by 2040, however this does not account for Scope 3 emissions (those generated by the use of their products) which account for more than 75% of the company’s total emissions.
PME share price valuation
As a growth company, some of the trends we might investigate from PME include revenue growth, profit growth, and return on equity (ROE). These measures can indicate the growth rates and prospects of the company, as well as their ability to generate returns from their assets.
Since 2021, PME has grown revenue at a rate of 33.4% per year to reach $162m in FY24. Over the same stretch of time, net profit has increased from $31m to $83m. PME last reported a ROE of 50.7%.
Since STO is more of a ‘mature’ or ‘blue-chip’ business, some of the metrics that could be considered important include the debt/equity ratio, average yield, and return on equity, or ROE. These are useful as they give us an idea of debt levels and the company’s ability to generate a return on assets and pay out profits (which is what we want from a blue chip). In CY23, Santos Ltd reported a debt/equity ratio of 40.3%, meaning the company has more equity than debt.
As for dividends, since 2019 STO has achieved an average dividend yield of 3.8% per year.
Finally, in CY23, STO reported an ROE of 9.4%. For a mature business you’re generally looking for an ROE of more than 10%, so STO’s returns are a bit less than what we’d expect.
It’s important to keep in mind that these are only a small selection of metrics and don’t give us enough information to value the business or make an investment decision. To learn more about valuation, check out one of our free online investing courses.
