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. Typically, we'll want to notice a trend of growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and alongside that, an expanding base of capital employed. This shows us that it's a compounding machine, able to continually reinvest its earnings back into the business and generate higher returns. So, when we ran our eye over CGI's (TSE:GIB.A) trend of ROCE, we liked what we saw.
Understanding 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 CGI:
Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)
0.19 = CA$2.1b ÷ (CA$15b - CA$3.8b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2022).
Therefore, CGI has an ROCE of 19%. On its own, that's a standard return, however it's much better than the 6.3% generated by the IT industry.
See our latest analysis for CGI
Above you can see how the current ROCE for CGI compares to its prior returns on capital, but there's only so much you can tell from the past. If you're interested, you can view the analysts predictions in our free report on analyst forecasts for the company.
How Are Returns Trending?
While the current returns on capital are decent, they haven't changed much. The company has employed 23% more capital in the last five years, and the returns on that capital have remained stable at 19%. 19% is a pretty standard return, and it provides some comfort knowing that CGI has consistently earned this amount. Stable returns in this ballpark can be unexciting, but if they can be maintained over the long run, they often provide nice rewards to shareholders.
Our Take On CGI's ROCE
To sum it up, CGI has simply been reinvesting capital steadily, at those decent rates of return. And the stock has followed suit returning a meaningful 63% to shareholders over the last five years. So while investors seem to be recognizing these promising trends, we still believe the stock deserves further research.
CGI could be trading at an attractive price in other respects, so you might find our free intrinsic value estimation on our platform quite valuable.
For those who like to invest in solid companies, check out this free list of companies with solid balance sheets and high returns on equity.
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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.
About TSX:GIB.A
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