Should You Be Excited About Anglo Asian Mining's (LON:AAZ) Returns On Capital?

Finding a business that has the potential to grow substantially is not easy, but it is possible if we look at a few key financial metrics. Firstly, we'll want to see a proven return on capital employed (ROCE) that is increasing, and secondly, an expanding base of capital employed. This shows us that it's a compounding machine, able to continually reinvest its earnings back into the business and generate higher returns. Speaking of which, we noticed some great changes in Anglo Asian Mining's (LON:AAZ) returns on capital, so let's have a look.

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 Anglo Asian Mining, this is the formula:

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

0.21 = US$32m ÷ (US$197m - US$42m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2020).

Thus, Anglo Asian Mining has an ROCE of 21%. In absolute terms that's a great return and it's even better than the Metals and Mining industry average of 14%.

Check out our latest analysis for Anglo Asian Mining

Above you can see how the current ROCE for Anglo Asian Mining 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 Anglo Asian Mining here for free.

What Does the ROCE Trend For Anglo Asian Mining Tell Us?

Anglo Asian Mining has broken into the black (profitability) and we're sure it's a sight for sore eyes. The company was generating losses five years ago, but has managed to turn it around and as we saw earlier is now earning 21%, which is always encouraging. Interestingly, the capital employed by the business has remained relatively flat, so these higher returns are either from prior investments paying off or increased efficiencies. With no noticeable increase in capital employed, it's worth knowing what the company plans on doing going forward in regards to reinvesting and growing the business. So if you're looking for high growth, you'll want to see a business's capital employed also increasing.

What We Can Learn From Anglo Asian Mining's ROCE

As discussed above, Anglo Asian Mining appears to be getting more proficient at generating returns since capital employed has remained flat but earnings (before interest and tax) are up. Since the stock has returned a staggering 2,254% 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 Anglo Asian Mining can keep these trends up, it could have a bright future ahead.

Anglo Asian Mining does have some risks though, and we've spotted 1 warning sign for Anglo Asian Mining that you might be interested in.

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. 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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