If you're looking for a multi-bagger, there's a few things to keep an eye out for. Firstly, we'll want to see a proven return on capital employed (ROCE) that is increasing, and secondly, an expanding base of capital employed. Basically this means that a company has profitable initiatives that it can continue to reinvest in, which is a trait of a compounding machine. So when we looked at SFS Group (VTX:SFSN) and its trend of ROCE, we really liked what we saw.
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 SFS Group, this is the formula:
Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)
0.19 = CHF296m ÷ (CHF1.8b - CHF299m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2021).
Thus, SFS Group has an ROCE of 19%. In absolute terms, that's a satisfactory return, but compared to the Machinery industry average of 13% it's much better.
View our latest analysis for SFS Group
In the above chart we have measured SFS Group'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 SFS Group here for free.
So How Is SFS Group's ROCE Trending?
SFS Group is displaying some positive trends. The data shows that returns on capital have increased substantially over the last five years to 19%. 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 26%. 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 Bottom Line
All in all, it's terrific to see that SFS Group is reaping the rewards from prior investments and is growing its capital base. Investors may not be impressed by the favorable underlying trends yet because over the last five years the stock has only returned 25% to shareholders. Given that, we'd look further into this stock in case it has more traits that could make it multiply in the long term.
If you want to continue researching SFS Group, you might be interested to know about the 2 warning signs that our analysis has discovered.
If you want to search for solid companies with great earnings, check out this free list of companies with good balance sheets and impressive 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 SWX:SFSN
SFS Group
Supplies precision components and assemblies, mechanical fastening systems, tools, and procurement solutions in Switzerland and internationally.
Excellent balance sheet established dividend payer.
