Barry Callebaut (VTX:BARN) Has More To Do To Multiply In Value Going Forward

If we want to find a stock that could multiply over the long term, what are the underlying trends we should look for? Ideally, a business will show two trends; firstly a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and secondly, an increasing amount 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 Barry Callebaut's (VTX:BARN) ROCE trend, we were pretty happy with what we saw.

Trump has pledged to "unleash" American oil and gas and these 15 US stocks have developments that are poised to benefit.

Understanding 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. To calculate this metric for Barry Callebaut, this is the formula:

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

0.13 = CHF983m ÷ (CHF18b - CHF10b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to February 2025).

Thus, Barry Callebaut has an ROCE of 13%. In absolute terms, that's a pretty normal return, and it's somewhat close to the Food industry average of 12%.

Check out our latest analysis for Barry Callebaut

Above you can see how the current ROCE for Barry Callebaut 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 Barry Callebaut .

What Can We Tell From Barry Callebaut's ROCE Trend?

While the current returns on capital are decent, they haven't changed much. Over the past five years, ROCE has remained relatively flat at around 13% and the business has deployed 76% more capital into its operations. 13% is a pretty standard return, and it provides some comfort knowing that Barry Callebaut has consistently earned this amount. 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.

Another point to note, we noticed the company has increased current liabilities over the last five years. This is intriguing because if current liabilities hadn't increased to 57% of total assets, this reported ROCE would probably be less than13% because total capital employed would be higher.The 13% ROCE could be even lower if current liabilities weren't 57% of total assets, because the the formula would show a larger base of total capital employed. Additionally, this high level of current liabilities isn't ideal because it means the company's suppliers (or short-term creditors) are effectively funding a large portion of the business.

In Conclusion...

To sum it up, Barry Callebaut has simply been reinvesting capital steadily, at those decent rates of return. Yet over the last five years the stock has declined 44%, so the decline might provide an opening. For that reason, savvy investors might want to look further into this company in case it's a prime investment.

Barry Callebaut does come with some risks though, we found 5 warning signs in our investment analysis, and 3 of those shouldn't be ignored...

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.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.

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.