Aristocrat Leisure's (ASX:ALL) Returns On Capital Not Reflecting Well On The Business

Finding a business that has the potential to grow substantially is not easy, but it is possible if we look at a few key financial metrics. 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. If you see this, it typically means it's a company with a great business model and plenty of profitable reinvestment opportunities. However, after investigating Aristocrat Leisure (ASX:ALL), we don't think it's current trends fit the mold of a multi-bagger.

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 Aristocrat Leisure:

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

0.17 = AU$1.5b ÷ (AU$10b - AU$1.3b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2022).

Therefore, Aristocrat Leisure has an ROCE of 17%. On its own, that's a standard return, however it's much better than the 8.1% generated by the Hospitality industry.

View our latest analysis for Aristocrat Leisure

In the above chart we have measured Aristocrat Leisure'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 Aristocrat Leisure.

What Does the ROCE Trend For Aristocrat Leisure Tell Us?

In terms of Aristocrat Leisure's historical ROCE movements, the trend isn't fantastic. Around five years ago the returns on capital were 30%, but since then they've fallen to 17%. Although, given both revenue and the amount of assets employed in the business have increased, it could suggest the company is investing in growth, and the extra capital has led to a short-term reduction in ROCE. And if the increased capital generates additional returns, the business, and thus shareholders, will benefit in the long run.

The Bottom Line On Aristocrat Leisure's ROCE

In summary, despite lower returns in the short term, we're encouraged to see that Aristocrat Leisure is reinvesting for growth and has higher sales as a result. Furthermore the stock has climbed 49% over the last five years, it would appear that investors are upbeat about the future. So should these growth trends continue, we'd be optimistic on the stock going forward.

While Aristocrat Leisure doesn't shine too bright in this respect, it's still worth seeing if the company is trading at attractive prices. You can find that out with our FREE intrinsic value estimation on our platform.

While Aristocrat Leisure isn't earning the highest return, check out this free list of companies that are earning high returns on equity with solid balance sheets.

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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.