If you're not sure where to start when looking for the next multi-bagger, there are a few key trends you should keep an eye out for. 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. Although, when we looked at TFF Group (EPA:TFF), it didn't seem to tick all of these boxes.
What is Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)?
Just to clarify if you're unsure, ROCE is a metric for evaluating how much pre-tax income (in percentage terms) a company earns on the capital invested in its business. To calculate this metric for TFF Group, this is the formula:
Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)
0.10 = €44m ÷ (€668m - €242m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to April 2020).
Therefore, TFF Group has an ROCE of 10%. In absolute terms, that's a pretty normal return, and it's somewhat close to the Packaging industry average of 12%.
View our latest analysis for TFF Group
Above you can see how the current ROCE for TFF Group 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 TFF Group here for free.
What The Trend Of ROCE Can Tell Us
When we looked at the ROCE trend at TFF Group, we didn't gain much confidence. Around five years ago the returns on capital were 16%, but since then they've fallen to 10%. However it looks like TFF Group 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's worth keeping an eye on the company's earnings from here on to see if these investments do end up contributing to the bottom line.
Our Take On TFF Group's ROCE
In summary, TFF Group is reinvesting funds back into the business for growth but unfortunately it looks like sales haven't increased much just yet. Unsurprisingly, the stock has only gained 18% over the last five years, which potentially indicates that investors are accounting for this going forward. So if you're looking for a multi-bagger, the underlying trends indicate you may have better chances elsewhere.
TFF Group does have some risks though, and we've spotted 1 warning sign for TFF Group that you might be interested in.
While TFF Group isn't earning the highest return, check out this free list of companies that are earning high returns on equity with solid balance sheets.
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