Beiersdorf (ETR:BEI) Might Be Having Difficulty Using Its Capital Effectively

If we want to find a stock that could multiply over the long term, what are the underlying trends we should look for? 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. Although, when we looked at Beiersdorf (ETR:BEI), it didn't seem to tick all of these boxes.

Return On Capital Employed (ROCE): What is it?

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 Beiersdorf, this is the formula:

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

0.14 = €1.1b ÷ (€11b - €3.0b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2021).

Thus, Beiersdorf has an ROCE of 14%. On its own, that's a standard return, however it's much better than the 9.8% generated by the Personal Products industry.

Check out our latest analysis for Beiersdorf

Above you can see how the current ROCE for Beiersdorf 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 report for Beiersdorf.

What Can We Tell From Beiersdorf's ROCE Trend?

In terms of Beiersdorf's historical ROCE movements, the trend isn't fantastic. Over the last five years, returns on capital have decreased to 14% from 18% five years ago. However it looks like Beiersdorf might be reinvesting for long term growth because while capital employed has increased, the company's sales haven't changed much in the last 12 months. It may take some time before the company starts to see any change in earnings from these investments.

Our Take On Beiersdorf's ROCE

Bringing it all together, while we're somewhat encouraged by Beiersdorf's reinvestment in its own business, we're aware that returns are shrinking. Unsurprisingly, the stock has only gained 16% over the last five years, which potentially indicates that investors are accounting for this going forward. Therefore, if you're looking for a multi-bagger, we'd propose looking at other options.

If you're still interested in Beiersdorf it's worth checking out our FREE intrinsic value approximation to see if it's trading at an attractive price in other respects.

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.