XRO share price in focus
Xero was founded in 2006 in Wellington, New Zealand, by Rod Drury, who led the company until 2018. Employing more than 3,000 people, Xero helps millions of subscribers manage their accounting and tax obligations across the globe.
The cloud-based “beautiful accounting software” developed by Xero is primarily for accountants and bookkeepers to better service their small business customers.
Through Xero, small business owners and their advisors/accountants have access to real-time financial data and on any device. Xero provides its core cloud accounting software to customers in New Zealand, Australia, the UK and, to a lesser extent, the USA.
SOL shares
Founded in 1903, Washington H. Soul Pattinson (WHSP) is an investment company with a diversified portfolio of assets across a range of industries and asset classes.
Some of SOL’s largest holdings include stakes in other 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 mission is to deliver superior returns to its shareholders by creating capital growth and steadily increasing dividends as a holding company. It’s the second-oldest publicly listed company on the ASX and has a strong track record of capital growth and dividends. In fact, it’s never missed a dividend payment since listing in 1903! It should be thought of as a family-run LIC, for the benefit of all shareholders (who are deeply aligned).
XRO share price valuation
As a growth company, some of the trends we would be looking for from XRO include revenue growth, profit growth, and return on equity (ROE). Since 2021, XRO has grown revenue at a rate of 26.4% per year to reach $1,714m in FY24. Over the same time period, net profit has increased from -$9m to $175m. XRO last reported a ROE of 14.3%.
Since SOL is more of a ‘mature’ or ‘blue-chip’ business, some of the metrics that might be important to us include the debt/equity ratio, average yield, and return on equity, or ROE. In FY24, Washington H Soul Pattinson & Company 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 generally want to see 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 selection of metrics and don’t give us enough information to value the business or make an investment decision. To learn more about valuation, I’d recommend checking out one of our free online investing courses.
