Capital Allocation Trends At Parex Resources (TSE:PXT) Aren't Ideal

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. Ultimately, this demonstrates that it's a business that is reinvesting profits at increasing rates of return. Having said that, while the ROCE is currently high for Parex Resources (TSE:PXT), we aren't jumping out of our chairs because returns are decreasing.

What Is 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. The formula for this calculation on Parex Resources is:

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

0.27 = US$556m ÷ (US$2.3b - US$248m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2024).

Therefore, Parex Resources has an ROCE of 27%. In absolute terms that's a great return and it's even better than the Oil and Gas industry average of 9.4%.

See our latest analysis for Parex Resources

Above you can see how the current ROCE for Parex Resources compares to its prior returns on capital, but there's only so much you can tell from the past. If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free analyst report for Parex Resources .

How Are Returns Trending?

When we looked at the ROCE trend at Parex Resources, we didn't gain much confidence. Historically returns on capital were even higher at 39%, but they have dropped over the last five years. On the other hand, the company has been employing more capital without a corresponding improvement in sales in the last year, which could suggest these investments are longer term plays. It may take some time before the company starts to see any change in earnings from these investments.

The Bottom Line

To conclude, we've found that Parex Resources is reinvesting in the business, but returns have been falling. Since the stock has declined 16% over the last five years, investors may not be too optimistic on this trend improving either. In any case, the stock doesn't have these traits of a multi-bagger discussed above, so if that's what you're looking for, we think you'd have more luck elsewhere.

If you want to know some of the risks facing Parex Resources we've found 3 warning signs (1 is significant!) that you should be aware of before investing here.

High returns are a key ingredient to strong performance, so check out our free list ofstocks 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.