Crest Nicholson Holdings (LON:CRST) May Have Issues Allocating Its Capital

If you're looking at a mature business that's past the growth phase, what are some of the underlying trends that pop up? When we see a declining return on capital employed (ROCE) in conjunction with a declining base of capital employed, that's often how a mature business shows signs of aging. This indicates to us that the business is not only shrinking the size of its net assets, but its returns are falling as well. On that note, looking into Crest Nicholson Holdings (LON:CRST), we weren't too upbeat about how things were going.

Return On Capital Employed (ROCE): What is it?

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 Crest Nicholson Holdings, this is the formula:

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

0.12 = UK£132m ÷ (UK£1.6b - UK£551m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to April 2022).

Thus, Crest Nicholson Holdings has an ROCE of 12%. That's a pretty standard return and it's in line with the industry average of 12%.

View our latest analysis for Crest Nicholson Holdings

Above you can see how the current ROCE for Crest Nicholson Holdings 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 Crest Nicholson Holdings here for free.

What Does the ROCE Trend For Crest Nicholson Holdings Tell Us?

In terms of Crest Nicholson Holdings' historical ROCE movements, the trend doesn't inspire confidence. Unfortunately the returns on capital have diminished from the 20% that they were earning five years ago. And on the capital employed front, the business is utilizing roughly the same amount of capital as it was back then. Since returns are falling and the business has the same amount of assets employed, this can suggest it's a mature business that hasn't had much growth in the last five years. If these trends continue, we wouldn't expect Crest Nicholson Holdings to turn into a multi-bagger.

Our Take On Crest Nicholson Holdings' ROCE

In the end, the trend of lower returns on the same amount of capital isn't typically an indication that we're looking at a growth stock. Investors haven't taken kindly to these developments, since the stock has declined 37% from where it was five years ago. With underlying trends that aren't great in these areas, we'd consider looking elsewhere.

On a final note, we've found 1 warning sign for Crest Nicholson Holdings that we think you should be aware of.

While Crest Nicholson Holdings may not currently earn the highest returns, we've compiled a list of companies that currently earn more than 25% return on equity. Check out this free list here.

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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.