Here's What To Make Of CGI's (TSE:GIB.A) Decelerating Rates Of Return

What trends should we look for it we want to identify stocks that can multiply in value over the long term? 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. That's why when we briefly looked at CGI's (TSE:GIB.A) ROCE trend, we were pretty happy with what we saw.

What Is Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)?

For those who don't know, ROCE is a measure of a company's yearly pre-tax profit (its return), relative to the capital employed in the business. The formula for this calculation on CGI is:

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

0.19 = CA$2.2b ÷ (CA$16b - CA$4.6b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to March 2023).

Thus, CGI has an ROCE of 19%. In absolute terms, that's a satisfactory return, but compared to the IT industry average of 14% it's much better.

Check out our latest analysis for CGI

In the above chart we have measured CGI's prior ROCE against its prior performance, but the future is arguably more important. If you'd like, you can check out the forecasts from the analysts covering CGI here for free.

SWOT Analysis for CGI

What Can We Tell From CGI's ROCE Trend?

While the returns on capital are good, they haven't moved much. The company has consistently earned 19% for the last five years, and the capital employed within the business has risen 28% in that time. Since 19% is a moderate ROCE though, it's good to see a business can continue to reinvest at these decent rates of return. Over long periods of time, returns like these might not be too exciting, but with consistency they can pay off in terms of share price returns.

The Bottom Line

In the end, CGI has proven its ability to adequately reinvest capital at good rates of return. And since the stock has risen strongly over the last five years, it appears the market might expect this trend to continue. So even though the stock might be more "expensive" than it was before, we think the strong fundamentals warrant this stock for further research.

If you're still interested in CGI it's worth checking out our FREE intrinsic value approximation to see if it's trading at an attractive price in other respects.

While CGI 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.