SOL share price in focus
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.
NWL shares
Netwealth is a wealth management software business that provides a platform for financial planners to manage client money.
As of 2024, Netwealth has over 140,000 account holders on its platform and over $88 billion of funds under administration (FUA), making it a major industry player.
Netwealth’s big advantage is its scale and the user-friendly interface offered through the online platform. Through one central dashboard, users can buy and sell investments, track performance, and view account summaries, reports and tax statements.
SOL & NWL share price valuation
We would consider SOL 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, Washington H Soul Pattinson & Company Ltd reported a debt/equity ratio of 8.5%, meaning the company has more equity than debt.
Over the last 5 years, SOL has delivered an average dividend yield of 2.4% per year. This is important to note if you’re looking for income from your investments.
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.
As more of a growth company, some of the trends we might consider for NWL 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, NWL has increased revenue at a rate of 20.8% per year to hit $255m in FY24. Meanwhile, net profit has increased from $54m to $83m. As for ROE, NWL’s last reported figure was 62.3%.
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 SOL or NWL shares. To learn more about valuation, check out one of our free online investing courses.
