Returns On Capital Are Showing Encouraging Signs At Abu Dhabi National Energy Company PJSC (ADX:TAQA)

If you're looking for a multi-bagger, there's a few things to keep an eye out for. Amongst other things, we'll want to see two things; firstly, a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and secondly, an expansion in the company's amount of capital employed. Basically this means that a company has profitable initiatives that it can continue to reinvest in, which is a trait of a compounding machine. So when we looked at Abu Dhabi National Energy Company PJSC (ADX:TAQA) and its trend of ROCE, we really liked what we saw.

Understanding Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)

If you haven't worked with ROCE before, it measures the 'return' (pre-tax profit) a company generates from capital employed in its business. Analysts use this formula to calculate it for Abu Dhabi National Energy Company PJSC:

Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)

0.057 = د.إ8.6b ÷ (د.إ177b - د.إ27b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to March 2022).

Therefore, Abu Dhabi National Energy Company PJSC has an ROCE of 5.7%. In absolute terms, that's a low return, but it's much better than the Integrated Utilities industry average of 4.6%.

Check out our latest analysis for Abu Dhabi National Energy Company PJSC

In the above chart we have measured Abu Dhabi National Energy Company PJSC's prior ROCE against its prior performance, but the future is arguably more important. If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free report for Abu Dhabi National Energy Company PJSC.

So How Is Abu Dhabi National Energy Company PJSC's ROCE Trending?

While in absolute terms it isn't a high ROCE, it's promising to see that it has been moving in the right direction. The numbers show that in the last two years, the returns generated on capital employed have grown considerably to 5.7%. Basically the business is earning more per dollar of capital invested and in addition to that, 80% more capital is being employed now too. This can indicate that there's plenty of opportunities to invest capital internally and at ever higher rates, a combination that's common among multi-baggers.

The Bottom Line

To sum it up, Abu Dhabi National Energy Company PJSC has proven it can reinvest in the business and generate higher returns on that capital employed, which is terrific. And given the stock has remained rather flat over the last year, there might be an opportunity here if other metrics are strong. That being the case, research into the company's current valuation metrics and future prospects seems fitting.

On a final note, we found 2 warning signs for Abu Dhabi National Energy Company PJSC (1 is concerning) you should be aware of.

For those who like to invest in solid companies, check out this free list of companies with solid balance sheets and high returns on equity.

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.