Beijing Urban Construction Design & Development Group (HKG:1599) Will Be Hoping To Turn Its Returns On Capital Around

To find a multi-bagger stock, what are the underlying trends we should look for in a business? In a perfect world, we'd like to see a company investing more capital into its business and ideally the returns earned from that capital are also increasing. If you see this, it typically means it's a company with a great business model and plenty of profitable reinvestment opportunities. Having said that, from a first glance at Beijing Urban Construction Design & Development Group (HKG:1599) we aren't jumping out of our chairs at how returns are trending, but let's have a deeper look.

Understanding 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 Beijing Urban Construction Design & Development Group, this is the formula:

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

0.061 = CN¥683m ÷ (CN¥21b - CN¥9.8b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2020).

Thus, Beijing Urban Construction Design & Development Group has an ROCE of 6.1%. In absolute terms, that's a low return but it's around the Construction industry average of 7.4%.

Check out our latest analysis for Beijing Urban Construction Design & Development Group

In the above chart we have measured Beijing Urban Construction Design & Development 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 Beijing Urban Construction Design & Development Group here for free.

The Trend Of ROCE

On the surface, the trend of ROCE at Beijing Urban Construction Design & Development Group doesn't inspire confidence. Around five years ago the returns on capital were 11%, but since then they've fallen to 6.1%. Although, given both revenue and the amount of assets employed in the business have increased, it could suggest the company is investing in growth, and the extra capital has led to a short-term reduction in ROCE. If these investments prove successful, this can bode very well for long term stock performance.

On a separate but related note, it's important to know that Beijing Urban Construction Design & Development Group has a current liabilities to total assets ratio of 47%, which we'd consider pretty high. This effectively means that suppliers (or short-term creditors) are funding a large portion of the business, so just be aware that this can introduce some elements of risk. Ideally we'd like to see this reduce as that would mean fewer obligations bearing risks.

What We Can Learn From Beijing Urban Construction Design & Development Group's ROCE

While returns have fallen for Beijing Urban Construction Design & Development Group in recent times, we're encouraged to see that sales are growing and that the business is reinvesting in its operations. These growth trends haven't led to growth returns though, since the stock has fallen 44% over the last five years. As a result, we'd recommend researching this stock further to uncover what other fundamentals of the business can show us.

One final note, you should learn about the 3 warning signs we've spotted with Beijing Urban Construction Design & Development Group (including 1 which doesn't sit too well with us) .

For those who like to invest in solid companies, check out this free list of companies with solid balance sheets and high returns on equity.

If you're looking for stocks to buy, use the lowest-cost* platform that is rated #1 Overall by Barron’s, Interactive Brokers. Trade stocks, options, futures, forex, bonds and funds on 135 markets, all from a single integrated account. Promoted

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.
^*Interactive Brokers Rated Lowest Cost Broker by StockBrokers.com Annual Online Review 2020

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