Kromek Group (LON:KMK) Shareholders Will Want The ROCE Trajectory To Continue

To find a multi-bagger stock, what are the underlying trends we should look for in a business? Typically, we'll want to notice a trend of growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and alongside that, an expanding base of capital employed. Ultimately, this demonstrates that it's a business that is reinvesting profits at increasing rates of return. So on that note, Kromek Group (LON:KMK) looks quite promising in regards to its trends of return on capital.

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What Is Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)?

For those that aren't sure what ROCE is, it measures the amount of pre-tax profits a company can generate from the capital employed in its business. To calculate this metric for Kromek Group, this is the formula:

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

0.084 = UK£4.7m ÷ (UK£66m - UK£9.2m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to April 2025).

Thus, Kromek Group has an ROCE of 8.4%. In absolute terms, that's a low return and it also under-performs the Semiconductor industry average of 16%.

See our latest analysis for Kromek Group

In the above chart we have measured Kromek 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 Kromek Group for free.

What Does the ROCE Trend For Kromek Group Tell Us?

We're delighted to see that Kromek Group is reaping rewards from its investments and has now broken into profitability. While the business was unprofitable in the past, it's now turned things around and is earning 8.4% on its capital. 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. After all, a company can only become a long term multi-bagger if it continually reinvests in itself at high rates of return.

The Bottom Line On Kromek Group's ROCE

In summary, we're delighted to see that Kromek Group has been able to increase efficiencies and earn higher rates of return on the same amount of capital. Given the stock has declined 35% in the last five years, this could be a good investment if the valuation and other metrics are also appealing. So researching this company further and determining whether or not these trends will continue seems justified.

Kromek Group does come with some risks though, we found 3 warning signs in our investment analysis, and 1 of those is a bit concerning...

While Kromek Group 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.