Westwing Group (ETR:WEW) Knows How To Allocate Capital Effectively

There are a few key trends to look for if we want to identify the next multi-bagger. 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. If you see this, it typically means it's a company with a great business model and plenty of profitable reinvestment opportunities. Speaking of which, we noticed some great changes in Westwing Group's (ETR:WEW) returns on capital, so let's have a look.

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 Westwing Group, this is the formula:

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

0.28 = €43m ÷ (€256m - €101m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2021).

Thus, Westwing Group has an ROCE of 28%. That's a fantastic return and not only that, it outpaces the average of 10% earned by companies in a similar industry.

View our latest analysis for Westwing Group

In the above chart we have measured Westwing Group's prior ROCE against its prior performance, but the future is arguably more important. If you'd like, you can check out the forecasts from the analysts covering Westwing Group here for free.

So How Is Westwing Group's ROCE Trending?

We're delighted to see that Westwing Group is reaping rewards from its investments and is now generating some pre-tax profits. About three years ago the company was generating losses but things have turned around because it's now earning 28% on its capital. And unsurprisingly, like most companies trying to break into the black, Westwing Group is utilizing 1,334% more capital than it was three years ago. We like this trend, because it tells us the company has profitable reinvestment opportunities available to it, and if it continues going forward that can lead to a multi-bagger performance.

In another part of our analysis, we noticed that the company's ratio of current liabilities to total assets decreased to 40%, which broadly means the business is relying less on its suppliers or short-term creditors to fund its operations. So shareholders would be pleased that the growth in returns has mostly come from underlying business performance.

The Bottom Line

To the delight of most shareholders, Westwing Group has now broken into profitability. Since the stock has returned a staggering 112% to shareholders over the last year, it looks like investors are recognizing these changes. So given the stock has proven it has promising trends, it's worth researching the company further to see if these trends are likely to persist.

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

If you'd like to see other companies earning high returns, check out our free list of companies earning high returns with solid balance sheets here.

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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.
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