Is Feintool International Holding (VTX:FTON) Likely To Turn Things Around?

If we want to find a stock that could multiply over the long term, what are the underlying trends we should look for? In a perfect world, we'd like to see a company investing more capital into its business and ideally the returns earned from that capital are also increasing. Basically this means that a company has profitable initiatives that it can continue to reinvest in, which is a trait of a compounding machine. However, after investigating Feintool International Holding (VTX:FTON), we don't think it's current trends fit the mold of a multi-bagger.

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 Feintool International Holding is:

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

0.018 = CHF9.2m ÷ (CHF677m - CHF173m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2020).

So, Feintool International Holding has an ROCE of 1.8%. In absolute terms, that's a low return and it also under-performs the Machinery industry average of 8.8%.

Check out our latest analysis for Feintool International Holding

Above you can see how the current ROCE for Feintool International Holding 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 report for Feintool International Holding.

The Trend Of ROCE

When we looked at the ROCE trend at Feintool International Holding, we didn't gain much confidence. Around five years ago the returns on capital were 11%, but since then they've fallen to 1.8%. Given the business is employing more capital while revenue has slipped, this is a bit concerning. If this were to continue, you might be looking at a company that is trying to reinvest for growth but is actually losing market share since sales haven't increased.

The Key Takeaway

In summary, we're somewhat concerned by Feintool International Holding's diminishing returns on increasing amounts of capital. Investors haven't taken kindly to these developments, since the stock has declined 25% from where it was five years ago. That being the case, unless the underlying trends revert to a more positive trajectory, we'd consider looking elsewhere.

One more thing to note, we've identified 1 warning sign with Feintool International Holding and understanding it should be part of your investment process.

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. 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.
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