The Fortescue Ltd (ASX:FMG) share price has decreased 21.2% since the start of 2025. Meanwhile, the CAR Group Limited (ASX:CAR) share price is 24.5% away from its 52-week high.
FMG share price in focus
Fortescue Ltd, founded in 2003 and headquartered in Perth, is a leading iron ore production and exploration company with assets located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia.
The company primarily focuses on iron ore production, shipping over 190 million tonnes annually. In addition to its iron ore operations, Fortescue has been expanding its exploration efforts across Australia, Argentina, Chile, Brazil, and Kazakhstan, targeting key materials such as copper, rare earths, and lithium.
This expansion aligns with the company’s long-term strategy to capitalise on the growing demand for these resources, driven by the global shift to renewable energy. Fortescue aims to meet the increasing need for copper, lithium, and other rare earths in the coming years.
CAR shares
Since the 1990s, CAR Group has been an operator of online marketplaces specialising in cars, motorcycles, and other vehicles.
As a marketplace provider, CAR Group aims to streamline the buying and selling process while providing added security and convenience for both parties. The combination of technology and advertising solutions gives both sellers and buyers peace of mind when making a big purchase.
The company has steadily grown over the last few years and now has global reach including in Australia (carsales), South Korea (Encar), the US (Trader Interactive) and Chile (chileautos).
FMG & CAR share price valuation
We would consider FMG to be a ‘mature’ or ‘blue-chip’ business, so some of the metrics that could be worth considering include the debt/equity ratio, average yield, and return on equity, or ROE. These measures give us a sense of the company’s debt levels, their ability to generate returns from their assets, and their ability to consistently return profits to shareholders.
For FY24, Fortescue Ltd reported a debt/equity ratio of 27.6%, meaning the company has more equity than debt.
Over the last 5 years, FMG has delivered an average dividend yield of 10.5% per year. This is important to note if you’re looking for income from your investments.
Finally, in FY24, FMG reported an ROE of 30.2%. For a mature business you generally want to see an ROE of more than 10%, so FMG clears this hurdle.
As more of a growth company, some of the trends we might consider for CAR shares include revenue growth, profit growth, and return on equity (ROE). I say ‘trends’ because it’s always important to look at these figures over a few years. The trend is a much more valuable figure than a single measure at one point in time.
Over the last 3 years, CAR has increased revenue at a rate of 37.0% per year to hit $1,099m in FY24. Meanwhile, net profit has increased from $131m to $250m. As for ROE, CAR’s last reported figure was 8.6%.
Please keep in mind that context is important. These metrics give us some indication of company performance, but it’s just the start of valuing FMG or CAR shares. To learn more about valuation, check out one of our free online investing courses.
