ZIP share price in focus
Founded in 2013, Zip Co is a financial technology company specialising in buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) services, a popular choice among retail consumers.
Zip enables customers to make purchases instantly and pay them off over interest-free instalments, offering a flexible and convenient payment option.
Operating globally, Zip has partnered with over 79,300 retailers and serves more than 6 million customers. In September 2020, the company expanded its presence in the US market by acquiring the BNPL provider Quadpay.
SOL shares
Founded in 1903, Washington H. Soul Pattinson (WHSP) is an investment company with a diversified portfolio spanning various industries and asset classes.
Some of its largest holdings include significant stakes in well-known publicly listed companies such as TPG Telecom (ASX: TPG), New Hope Group (ASX: NHC), and a cross-shareholding in Brickworks (ASX: BKW).
SOL’s goal is to deliver strong returns to its shareholders through capital growth and a consistent increase in dividends as a holding company. As the second-oldest publicly listed company on the ASX, it boasts a long history of capital appreciation and dividend reliability. In fact, it has never missed a dividend payment since its listing in 1903! SOL operates like a family-run LIC, with a focus on the benefit of all shareholders, who are closely aligned with the company’s success.
ZIP share price valuation
As a growth company, some of the trends we might investigate from ZIP 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, ZIP has grown revenue at a rate of 75.7% per year to reach $868m in FY24. Over the same stretch of time, net profit has increased from -$678m to $6m. ZIP last reported a ROE of 1.8%.
Since SOL 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 FY24, Washington H Sl Pttnsn nd Cmpny Ltd reported a debt/equity ratio of 8.5%, meaning the company has more equity than debt.
As for dividends, since 2019 SOL has achieved an average dividend yield of 2.4% per year.
Finally, in FY24, SOL reported an ROE of 5.6%. For a mature business you’re generally looking for an ROE of more than 10%, so SOL’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.
