Petros Petropoulos AEBE (ATH:PETRO) Could Become A Multi-Bagger

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'd want to identify a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and then alongside that, an ever-increasing base of capital employed. If you see this, it typically means it's a company with a great business model and plenty of profitable reinvestment opportunities. With that in mind, the ROCE of Petros Petropoulos AEBE (ATH:PETRO) looks great, so lets see what the trend can tell us.

Understanding Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)

Just to clarify if you're unsure, ROCE is a metric for evaluating how much pre-tax income (in percentage terms) a company earns on the capital invested in its business. Analysts use this formula to calculate it for Petros Petropoulos AEBE:

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

0.20 = €11m ÷ (€79m - €24m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2021).

Thus, Petros Petropoulos AEBE has an ROCE of 20%. In absolute terms that's a great return and it's even better than the Machinery industry average of 9.8%.

Check out our latest analysis for Petros Petropoulos AEBE

While the past is not representative of the future, it can be helpful to know how a company has performed historically, which is why we have this chart above. If you'd like to look at how Petros Petropoulos AEBE has performed in the past in other metrics, you can view this free graph of past earnings, revenue and cash flow.

The Trend Of ROCE

Investors would be pleased with what's happening at Petros Petropoulos AEBE. The numbers show that in the last five years, the returns generated on capital employed have grown considerably to 20%. The company is effectively making more money per dollar of capital used, and it's worth noting that the amount of capital has increased too, by 39%. The increasing returns on a growing amount of capital is common amongst multi-baggers and that's why we're impressed.

What We Can Learn From Petros Petropoulos AEBE's ROCE

To sum it up, Petros Petropoulos AEBE has proven it can reinvest in the business and generate higher returns on that capital employed, which is terrific. Since the stock has returned a solid 50% to shareholders over the last five years, it's fair to say investors are beginning to recognize these changes. So given the stock has proven it has promising trends, it's worth researching the company further to see if these trends are likely to persist.

On a separate note, we've found 1 warning sign for Petros Petropoulos AEBE you'll probably want to know about.

Petros Petropoulos AEBE is not the only stock earning high returns. If you'd like to see more, check out our free list of companies earning high returns on equity with solid fundamentals.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.

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.