There's Been No Shortage Of Growth Recently For Telefónica Deutschland Holding's (ETR:O2D) Returns On Capital

There are a few key trends to look for if we want to identify the next multi-bagger. One common approach is to try and find a company with returns on capital employed (ROCE) that are increasing, in conjunction with a growing amount of capital employed. Ultimately, this demonstrates that it's a business that is reinvesting profits at increasing rates of return. Speaking of which, we noticed some great changes in Telefónica Deutschland Holding's (ETR:O2D) returns on capital, so let's have a look.

What is 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 Telefónica Deutschland Holding, this is the formula:

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

0.0032 = €40m ÷ (€16b - €3.9b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2021).

Therefore, Telefónica Deutschland Holding has an ROCE of 0.3%. Ultimately, that's a low return and it under-performs the Telecom industry average of 6.4%.

Check out our latest analysis for Telefónica Deutschland Holding

Above you can see how the current ROCE for Telefónica Deutschland Holding 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 Telefónica Deutschland Holding.

What The Trend Of ROCE Can Tell Us

Shareholders will be relieved that Telefónica Deutschland Holding has broken into profitability. The company was generating losses five years ago, but has managed to turn it around and as we saw earlier is now earning 0.3%, which is always encouraging. Interestingly, the capital employed by the business has remained relatively flat, so these higher returns are either from prior investments paying off or increased efficiencies. That being said, while an increase in efficiency is no doubt appealing, it'd be helpful to know if the company does have any investment plans going forward. So if you're looking for high growth, you'll want to see a business's capital employed also increasing.

The Key Takeaway

To sum it up, Telefónica Deutschland Holding is collecting higher returns from the same amount of capital, and that's impressive. And since the stock has fallen 12% over the last five years, there might be an opportunity here. So researching this company further and determining whether or not these trends will continue seems justified.

If you want to know some of the risks facing Telefónica Deutschland Holding we've found 5 warning signs (3 are a bit unpleasant!) that you should be aware of before investing here.

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.

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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.