Is Amper (BME:AMP) Likely To Turn Things Around?

What trends should we look for it we want to identify stocks that can multiply in value over the long term? 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. This shows us that it's a compounding machine, able to continually reinvest its earnings back into the business and generate higher returns. In light of that, when we looked at Amper (BME:AMP) and its ROCE trend, we weren't exactly thrilled.

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 Amper, this is the formula:

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

0.054 = €5.7m ÷ (€216m - €110m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2020).

Thus, Amper has an ROCE of 5.4%. In absolute terms, that's a low return and it also under-performs the Communications industry average of 10%.

View our latest analysis for Amper

While the past is not representative of the future, it can be helpful to know how a company has performed historically, which is why we have this chart above. If you're interested in investigating Amper's past further, check out this free graph of past earnings, revenue and cash flow.

The Trend Of ROCE

In terms of Amper's historical ROCE movements, the trend isn't fantastic. Around five years ago the returns on capital were 7.2%, but since then they've fallen to 5.4%. However it looks like Amper 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.

On a related note, Amper has decreased its current liabilities to 51% of total assets. That could partly explain why the ROCE has dropped. What's more, this can reduce some aspects of risk to the business because now the company's suppliers or short-term creditors are funding less of its operations. Since the business is basically funding more of its operations with it's own money, you could argue this has made the business less efficient at generating ROCE. Keep in mind 51% is still pretty high, so those risks are still somewhat prevalent.

The Key Takeaway

Bringing it all together, while we're somewhat encouraged by Amper's reinvestment in its own business, we're aware that returns are shrinking. Since the stock has gained an impressive 62% over the last five years, investors must think there's better things to come. But if the trajectory of these underlying trends continue, we think the likelihood of it being a multi-bagger from here isn't high.

If you want to continue researching Amper, you might be interested to know about the 3 warning signs that our analysis has discovered.

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. 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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