Returns On Capital At SIG Group (VTX:SIGN) Have Stalled

Did you know there are some financial metrics that can provide clues of a potential multi-bagger? Firstly, we'd want to identify a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and then alongside that, an ever-increasing 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. In light of that, when we looked at SIG Group (VTX:SIGN) and its ROCE trend, we weren't exactly thrilled.

Understanding Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)

For those that aren't sure what ROCE is, it measures the amount of pre-tax profits a company can generate from the capital employed in its business. To calculate this metric for SIG Group, this is the formula:

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

0.041 = €240m ÷ (€7.6b - €1.7b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2022).

Thus, SIG Group has an ROCE of 4.1%. In absolute terms, that's a low return and it also under-performs the Packaging industry average of 9.4%.

See our latest analysis for SIG Group

Above you can see how the current ROCE for SIG Group 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?

The returns on capital haven't changed much for SIG Group in recent years. The company has employed 41% more capital in the last five years, and the returns on that capital have remained stable at 4.1%. Given the company has increased the amount of capital employed, it appears the investments that have been made simply don't provide a high return on capital.

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 23% of total assets, this reported ROCE would probably be less than4.1% because total capital employed would be higher.The 4.1% ROCE could be even lower if current liabilities weren't 23% of total assets, because the the formula would show a larger base of total capital employed. With that in mind, just be wary if this ratio increases in the future, because if it gets particularly high, this brings with it some new elements of risk.

What We Can Learn From SIG Group's ROCE

As we've seen above, SIG Group's returns on capital haven't increased but it is reinvesting in the business. Since the stock has gained an impressive 73% over the last three years, investors must think there's better things to come. Ultimately, if the underlying trends persist, we wouldn't hold our breath on it being a multi-bagger going forward.

Since virtually every company faces some risks, it's worth knowing what they are, and we've spotted 2 warning signs for SIG Group (of which 1 is concerning!) that you should know about.

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.