Returns On Capital Are Showing Encouraging Signs At Coca-Cola HBC (LON:CCH)

If we want to find a stock that could multiply over the long term, what are the underlying trends we should look for? Typically, we'll want to notice a trend of growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and alongside that, an expanding base 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 when we looked at Coca-Cola HBC (LON:CCH) and its trend of ROCE, we really liked what we saw.

What is Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)?

If you haven't worked with ROCE before, it measures the 'return' (pre-tax profit) a company generates from capital employed in its business. Analysts use this formula to calculate it for Coca-Cola HBC:

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

0.14 = €798m ÷ (€8.4b - €2.8b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to July 2021).

Therefore, Coca-Cola HBC has an ROCE of 14%. That's a pretty standard return and it's in line with the industry average of 14%.

View our latest analysis for Coca-Cola HBC

Above you can see how the current ROCE for Coca-Cola HBC compares to its prior returns on capital, but there's only so much you can tell from the past. If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free report for Coca-Cola HBC.

The Trend Of ROCE

The trends we've noticed at Coca-Cola HBC are quite reassuring. Over the last five years, returns on capital employed have risen substantially to 14%. Basically the business is earning more per dollar of capital invested and in addition to that, 28% more capital is being employed now too. This can indicate that there's plenty of opportunities to invest capital internally and at ever higher rates, a combination that's common among multi-baggers.

The Bottom Line On Coca-Cola HBC's ROCE

In summary, it's great to see that Coca-Cola HBC can compound returns by consistently reinvesting capital at increasing rates of return, because these are some of the key ingredients of those highly sought after multi-baggers. And investors seem to expect more of this going forward, since the stock has rewarded shareholders with a 71% return over the last five years. With that being said, we still think the promising fundamentals mean the company deserves some further due diligence.

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

While Coca-Cola HBC 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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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.