Fresenius Medical Care KGaA (ETR:FME) Will Want To Turn Around Its Return Trends

Finding a business that has the potential to grow substantially is not easy, but it is possible if we look at a few key financial metrics. Typically, we'll want to notice a trend of growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and alongside that, an expanding 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. However, after briefly looking over the numbers, we don't think Fresenius Medical Care KGaA (ETR:FME) has the makings of a multi-bagger going forward, but let's have a look at why that may be.

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 Fresenius Medical Care KGaA, this is the formula:

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

0.072 = €1.9b ÷ (€34b - €7.5b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2021).

So, Fresenius Medical Care KGaA has an ROCE of 7.2%. Even though it's in line with the industry average of 6.9%, it's still a low return by itself.

View our latest analysis for Fresenius Medical Care KGaA

Above you can see how the current ROCE for Fresenius Medical Care KGaA compares to its prior returns on capital, but there's only so much you can tell from the past. If you'd like, you can check out the forecasts from the analysts covering Fresenius Medical Care KGaA here for free.

The Trend Of ROCE

In terms of Fresenius Medical Care KGaA's historical ROCE movements, the trend isn't fantastic. Around five years ago the returns on capital were 12%, but since then they've fallen to 7.2%. On the other hand, the company has been employing more capital without a corresponding improvement in sales in the last year, which could suggest these investments are longer term plays. It may take some time before the company starts to see any change in earnings from these investments.

Our Take On Fresenius Medical Care KGaA's ROCE

Bringing it all together, while we're somewhat encouraged by Fresenius Medical Care KGaA's reinvestment in its own business, we're aware that returns are shrinking. Since the stock has declined 14% over the last five years, investors may not be too optimistic on this trend improving either. On the whole, we aren't too inspired by the underlying trends and we think there may be better chances of finding a multi-bagger elsewhere.

On a separate note, we've found 1 warning sign for Fresenius Medical Care KGaA you'll probably want to 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.

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.

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