Some Investors May Be Worried About São Martinho's (BVMF:SMTO3) Returns On Capital

There are a few key trends to look for if we want to identify the next multi-bagger. One common approach is to try and find a company with returns on capital employed (ROCE) that are increasing, in conjunction with a growing 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. Having said that, from a first glance at São Martinho (BVMF:SMTO3) we aren't jumping out of our chairs at how returns are trending, but let's have a deeper look.

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Return On Capital Employed (ROCE): What Is It?

If you haven't worked with ROCE before, it measures the 'return' (pre-tax profit) a company generates from capital employed in its business. The formula for this calculation on São Martinho is:

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

0.075 = R$1.5b ÷ (R$22b - R$2.6b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2025).

So, São Martinho has an ROCE of 7.5%. On its own that's a low return on capital but it's in line with the industry's average returns of 8.1%.

View our latest analysis for São Martinho

In the above chart we have measured São Martinho's prior ROCE against its prior performance, but the future is arguably more important. If you're interested, you can view the analysts predictions in our free analyst report for São Martinho .

The Trend Of ROCE

When we looked at the ROCE trend at São Martinho, we didn't gain much confidence. To be more specific, ROCE has fallen from 13% over the last five years. However it looks like São Martinho might be reinvesting for long term growth because while capital employed has increased, the company's sales haven't changed much in the last 12 months. It's worth keeping an eye on the company's earnings from here on to see if these investments do end up contributing to the bottom line.

Our Take On São Martinho's ROCE

Bringing it all together, while we're somewhat encouraged by São Martinho's reinvestment in its own business, we're aware that returns are shrinking. Additionally, the stock's total return to shareholders over the last five years has been flat, which isn't too surprising. On the whole, we aren't too inspired by the underlying trends and we think there may be better chances of finding a multi-bagger elsewhere.

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While São Martinho 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.