Returns On Capital At Sun Art Retail Group (HKG:6808) Paint A Concerning Picture

If we want to find a potential multi-bagger, often there are underlying trends that can provide clues. Typically, we'll want to notice a trend of growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and alongside that, an expanding base of capital employed. This shows us that it's a compounding machine, able to continually reinvest its earnings back into the business and generate higher returns. Having said that, from a first glance at Sun Art Retail Group (HKG:6808) we aren't jumping out of our chairs at how returns are trending, but let's have a deeper look.

What Is Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)?

If you haven't worked with ROCE before, it measures the 'return' (pre-tax profit) a company generates from capital employed in its business. Analysts use this formula to calculate it for Sun Art Retail Group:

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

0.032 = CN¥968m ÷ (CN¥64b - CN¥34b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to March 2023).

So, Sun Art Retail Group has an ROCE of 3.2%. In absolute terms, that's a low return and it also under-performs the Consumer Retailing industry average of 10.0%.

View our latest analysis for Sun Art Retail Group

Above you can see how the current ROCE for Sun Art Retail Group compares to its prior returns on capital, but there's only so much you can tell from the past. If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free report for Sun Art Retail Group.

How Are Returns Trending?

In terms of Sun Art Retail Group's historical ROCE movements, the trend isn't fantastic. Over the last five years, returns on capital have decreased to 3.2% from 17% five years ago. Meanwhile, the business is utilizing more capital but this hasn't moved the needle much in terms of sales in the past 12 months, so this could reflect longer term investments. It's worth keeping an eye on the company's earnings from here on to see if these investments do end up contributing to the bottom line.

Another thing to note, Sun Art Retail Group has a high ratio of current liabilities to total assets of 53%. This can bring about some risks because the company is basically operating with a rather large reliance on its suppliers or other sorts of short-term creditors. While it's not necessarily a bad thing, it can be beneficial if this ratio is lower.

The Key Takeaway

Bringing it all together, while we're somewhat encouraged by Sun Art Retail Group's reinvestment in its own business, we're aware that returns are shrinking. Moreover, since the stock has crumbled 79% over the last five years, it appears investors are expecting the worst. Therefore based on the analysis done in this article, we don't think Sun Art Retail Group has the makings of a multi-bagger.

If you'd like to know about the risks facing Sun Art Retail Group, we've discovered 1 warning sign that you should be aware of.

If you want to search for solid companies with great earnings, check out this free list of companies with good balance sheets and impressive returns on equity.

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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.