Here's What We Make Of Ocean Wilsons Holdings' (LON:OCN) Returns On Capital

What financial metrics can indicate to us that a company is maturing or even in decline? 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 reveals that the company isn't compounding shareholder wealth because returns are falling and its net asset base is shrinking. In light of that, from a first glance at Ocean Wilsons Holdings (LON:OCN), we've spotted some signs that it could be struggling, so let's investigate.

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. Analysts use this formula to calculate it for Ocean Wilsons Holdings:

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

0.073 = US$86m ÷ (US$1.3b - US$125m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2020).

Therefore, Ocean Wilsons Holdings has an ROCE of 7.3%. In absolute terms, that's a low return but it's around the Infrastructure industry average of 6.2%.

See our latest analysis for Ocean Wilsons Holdings

In the above chart we have measured Ocean Wilsons Holdings' prior ROCE against its prior performance, but the future is arguably more important. If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free report for Ocean Wilsons Holdings.

What Does the ROCE Trend For Ocean Wilsons Holdings Tell Us?

There is reason to be cautious about Ocean Wilsons Holdings, given the returns are trending downwards. About five years ago, returns on capital were 9.7%, however they're now substantially lower than that as we saw above. And on the capital employed front, the business is utilizing roughly the same amount of capital as it was back then. This combination can be indicative of a mature business that still has areas to deploy capital, but the returns received aren't as high due potentially to new competition or smaller margins. So because these trends aren't typically conducive to creating a multi-bagger, we wouldn't hold our breath on Ocean Wilsons Holdings becoming one if things continue as they have.

In Conclusion...

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. But investors must be expecting an improvement of sorts because over the last five yearsthe stock has delivered a respectable 47% return. Regardless, we don't feel too comfortable with the fundamentals so we'd be steering clear of this stock for now.

On a separate note, we've found 5 warning signs for Ocean Wilsons Holdings you'll probably want to know about.

While Ocean Wilsons Holdings 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. 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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