Investors Will Want Morgan Sindall Group's (LON:MGNS) Growth In ROCE To Persist

There are a few key trends to look for if we want to identify the next multi-bagger. Ideally, a business will show two trends; firstly a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and secondly, an increasing amount of capital employed. Put simply, these types of businesses are compounding machines, meaning they are continually reinvesting their earnings at ever-higher rates of return. So on that note, Morgan Sindall Group (LON:MGNS) looks quite promising in regards to its trends of return on capital.

Understanding 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. Analysts use this formula to calculate it for Morgan Sindall Group:

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

0.18 = UK£93m ÷ (UK£1.6b - UK£1.0b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2021).

Therefore, Morgan Sindall Group has an ROCE of 18%. On its own, that's a standard return, however it's much better than the 8.2% generated by the Construction industry.

Check out our latest analysis for Morgan Sindall Group

In the above chart we have measured Morgan Sindall 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 Morgan Sindall Group here for free.

How Are Returns Trending?

We like the trends that we're seeing from Morgan Sindall Group. The data shows that returns on capital have increased substantially over the last five years to 18%. Basically the business is earning more per dollar of capital invested and in addition to that, 56% more capital is being employed now too. So we're very much inspired by what we're seeing at Morgan Sindall Group thanks to its ability to profitably reinvest capital.

On a separate but related note, it's important to know that Morgan Sindall Group has a current liabilities to total assets ratio of 66%, which we'd consider pretty high. This can bring about some risks because the company is basically operating with a rather large reliance on its suppliers or other sorts of short-term creditors. While it's not necessarily a bad thing, it can be beneficial if this ratio is lower.

The Bottom Line On Morgan Sindall Group's ROCE

A company that is growing its returns on capital and can consistently reinvest in itself is a highly sought after trait, and that's what Morgan Sindall Group has. Since the stock has returned a staggering 282% to shareholders over the last five years, it looks like investors are recognizing these changes. In light of that, we think it's worth looking further into this stock because if Morgan Sindall Group can keep these trends up, it could have a bright future ahead.

One more thing, we've spotted 2 warning signs facing Morgan Sindall Group that you might find interesting.

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.

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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