Shenzhou International Group Holdings' (HKG:2313) Returns Have Hit A Wall

What are the early trends we should look for to identify a stock that could multiply in value over the long term? Firstly, we'll want to see a proven return on capital employed (ROCE) that is increasing, and secondly, an expanding base of capital employed. Put simply, these types of businesses are compounding machines, meaning they are continually reinvesting their earnings at ever-higher rates of return. So, when we ran our eye over Shenzhou International Group Holdings' (HKG:2313) trend of ROCE, we liked what we saw.

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. To calculate this metric for Shenzhou International Group Holdings, this is the formula:

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

0.19 = CN¥5.5b ÷ (CN¥39b - CN¥9.9b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2021).

Therefore, Shenzhou International Group Holdings has an ROCE of 19%. In absolute terms, that's a satisfactory return, but compared to the Luxury industry average of 6.3% it's much better.

View our latest analysis for Shenzhou International Group Holdings

Above you can see how the current ROCE for Shenzhou International Group Holdings 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 Shenzhou International Group Holdings here for free.

So How Is Shenzhou International Group Holdings' ROCE Trending?

The trend of ROCE doesn't stand out much, but returns on a whole are decent. Over the past five years, ROCE has remained relatively flat at around 19% and the business has deployed 74% more capital into its operations. 19% is a pretty standard return, and it provides some comfort knowing that Shenzhou International Group Holdings has consistently earned this amount. Over long periods of time, returns like these might not be too exciting, but with consistency they can pay off in terms of share price returns.

Another point to note, we noticed the company has increased current liabilities over the last five years. This is intriguing because if current liabilities hadn't increased to 26% of total assets, this reported ROCE would probably be less than19% because total capital employed would be higher.The 19% ROCE could be even lower if current liabilities weren't 26% of total assets, because the the formula would show a larger base of total capital employed. So while current liabilities isn't high right now, keep an eye out in case it increases further, because this can introduce some elements of risk.

The Bottom Line On Shenzhou International Group Holdings' ROCE

In the end, Shenzhou International Group Holdings has proven its ability to adequately reinvest capital at good rates of return. On top of that, the stock has rewarded shareholders with a remarkable 271% return to those who've held over the last five years. So while investors seem to be recognizing these promising trends, we still believe the stock deserves further research.

Shenzhou International Group Holdings could be trading at an attractive price in other respects, so you might find our free intrinsic value estimation on our platform quite valuable.

While Shenzhou International Group 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.

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.

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