Returns On Capital Are Showing Encouraging Signs At Endeavour Group (ASX:EDV)

To find a multi-bagger stock, what are the underlying trends we should look for in a business? 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. Put simply, these types of businesses are compounding machines, meaning they are continually reinvesting their earnings at ever-higher rates of return. So on that note, Endeavour Group (ASX:EDV) looks quite promising in regards to its trends of return on capital.

What Is 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 Endeavour Group:

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

0.11 = AU$1.0b ÷ (AU$12b - AU$2.6b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to January 2023).

Therefore, Endeavour Group has an ROCE of 11%. In absolute terms, that's a pretty standard return but compared to the Consumer Retailing industry average it falls behind.

View our latest analysis for Endeavour Group

In the above chart we have measured Endeavour Group'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 Endeavour Group.

What Does the ROCE Trend For Endeavour Group Tell Us?

Investors would be pleased with what's happening at Endeavour Group. The numbers show that in the last two years, the returns generated on capital employed have grown considerably to 11%. The amount of capital employed has increased too, by 25%. The increasing returns on a growing amount of capital is common amongst multi-baggers and that's why we're impressed.

In another part of our analysis, we noticed that the company's ratio of current liabilities to total assets decreased to 23%, which broadly means the business is relying less on its suppliers or short-term creditors to fund its operations. This tells us that Endeavour Group has grown its returns without a reliance on increasing their current liabilities, which we're very happy with.

The Key Takeaway

A company that is growing its returns on capital and can consistently reinvest in itself is a highly sought after trait, and that's what Endeavour Group has. And since the stock has fallen 18% over the last year, there might be an opportunity here. So researching this company further and determining whether or not these trends will continue seems justified.

If you want to continue researching Endeavour Group, you might be interested to know about the 1 warning sign that our analysis has discovered.

While Endeavour Group may not currently earn the highest returns, we've compiled a list of companies that currently earn more than 25% return on equity. Check out this free list here.

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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.