If we want to find a stock that could multiply over the long term, what are the underlying trends we should look for? Amongst other things, we'll want to see two things; firstly, a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and secondly, an expansion in the company's amount of capital employed. If you see this, it typically means it's a company with a great business model and plenty of profitable reinvestment opportunities. So, when we ran our eye over IMI's (LON:IMI) trend of ROCE, we really liked what we saw.
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 IMI, this is the formula:
Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)
0.21 = UK£370m ÷ (UK£2.5b - UK£722m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2023).
So, IMI has an ROCE of 21%. That's a fantastic return and not only that, it outpaces the average of 13% earned by companies in a similar industry.
Check out our latest analysis for IMI
In the above chart we have measured IMI's prior ROCE against its prior performance, but the future is arguably more important. If you're interested, you can view the analysts predictions in our free analyst report for IMI .
How Are Returns Trending?
We'd be pretty happy with returns on capital like IMI. The company has employed 49% more capital in the last five years, and the returns on that capital have remained stable at 21%. Now considering ROCE is an attractive 21%, this combination is actually pretty appealing because it means the business can consistently put money to work and generate these high returns. You'll see this when looking at well operated businesses or favorable business models.
The Key Takeaway
In summary, we're delighted to see that IMI has been compounding returns by reinvesting at consistently high rates of return, as these are common traits of a multi-bagger. And the stock has followed suit returning a meaningful 97% to shareholders over the last five years. So while investors seem to be recognizing these promising trends, we still believe the stock deserves further research.
On a separate note, we've found 1 warning sign for IMI you'll probably want to know about.
High returns are a key ingredient to strong performance, so check out our free list ofstocks earning high returns on equity with solid balance sheets.
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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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About LSE:IMI
IMI
An engineering company, engages in the design, manufacturing, and servicing of engineering products in the United Kingdom, Germany, rest of Europe, the United States, rest of the Americas, China, rest of the Asia Pacific, the Middle East, and Africa.
Very undervalued with solid track record.
