Stock Analysis

Returns At Dexco (BVMF:DXCO3) Are On The Way Up

BOVESPA:DXCO3
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If you're not sure where to start when looking for the next multi-bagger, there are a few key trends you should keep an eye out for. Firstly, we'd want to identify a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and then alongside that, an ever-increasing base 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. With that in mind, we've noticed some promising trends at Dexco (BVMF:DXCO3) so let's look a bit deeper.

Understanding Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)

Just to clarify if you're unsure, ROCE is a metric for evaluating how much pre-tax income (in percentage terms) a company earns on the capital invested in its business. To calculate this metric for Dexco, this is the formula:

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

0.053 = R$665m ÷ (R$16b - R$3.1b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to March 2023).

Thus, Dexco has an ROCE of 5.3%. Ultimately, that's a low return and it under-performs the Forestry industry average of 12%.

View our latest analysis for Dexco

roce
BOVESPA:DXCO3 Return on Capital Employed June 22nd 2023

In the above chart we have measured Dexco'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 Dexco.

SWOT Analysis for Dexco

Strength
  • Dividend is in the top 25% of dividend payers in the market.
Weakness
  • Earnings declined over the past year.
  • Interest payments on debt are not well covered.
  • Expensive based on P/E ratio and estimated fair value.
Opportunity
  • DXCO3's financial characteristics indicate limited near-term opportunities for shareholders.
Threat
  • Debt is not well covered by operating cash flow.
  • Paying a dividend but company has no free cash flows.
  • Annual earnings are forecast to decline for the next 3 years.

The Trend Of ROCE

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 data shows that returns on capital have increased substantially over the last five years to 5.3%. The company is effectively making more money per dollar of capital used, and it's worth noting that the amount of capital has increased too, by 61%. 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 Key Takeaway

In summary, it's great to see that Dexco can compound returns by consistently reinvesting capital at increasing rates of return, because these are some of the key ingredients of those highly sought after multi-baggers. And investors seem to expect more of this going forward, since the stock has rewarded shareholders with a 63% return over the last five years. With that being said, we still think the promising fundamentals mean the company deserves some further due diligence.

If you'd like to know more about Dexco, we've spotted 5 warning signs, and 2 of them are a bit unpleasant.

While Dexco 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.