Returns Are Gaining Momentum At PUMA (ETR:PUM)

What trends should we look for it we want to identify stocks that can multiply in value over the long term? 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. Ultimately, this demonstrates that it's a business that is reinvesting profits at increasing rates of return. So when we looked at PUMA (ETR:PUM) and its trend of ROCE, we really liked what we saw.

Return On Capital Employed (ROCE): What Is It?

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 PUMA, this is the formula:

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

0.17 = €666m ÷ (€6.8b - €2.8b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2022).

So, PUMA has an ROCE of 17%. On its own, that's a standard return, however it's much better than the 7.0% generated by the Luxury industry.

View our latest analysis for PUMA

In the above chart we have measured PUMA's prior ROCE against its prior performance, but the future is arguably more important. If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free report for PUMA.

What Does the ROCE Trend For PUMA Tell Us?

The trends we've noticed at PUMA are quite reassuring. The data shows that returns on capital have increased substantially over the last five years to 17%. Basically the business is earning more per dollar of capital invested and in addition to that, 119% more capital is being employed now too. 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.

On a side note, PUMA's current liabilities are still rather high at 42% of total assets. This effectively means that suppliers (or short-term creditors) are funding a large portion of the business, so just be aware that this can introduce some elements of risk. Ideally we'd like to see this reduce as that would mean fewer obligations bearing risks.

The Bottom Line On PUMA's ROCE

All in all, it's terrific to see that PUMA is reaping the rewards from prior investments and is growing its capital base. Since the stock has only returned 38% to shareholders over the last five years, the promising fundamentals may not be recognized yet by investors. So with that in mind, we think the stock deserves further research.

PUMA does have some risks though, and we've spotted 1 warning sign for PUMA that you might be interested in.

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.