Here's What To Make Of Blue Moon Group Holdings' (HKG:6993) Decelerating Rates Of Return

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'll want to see a proven return on capital employed (ROCE) that is increasing, and secondly, an expanding base of capital employed. Basically this means that a company has profitable initiatives that it can continue to reinvest in, which is a trait of a compounding machine. However, after investigating Blue Moon Group Holdings (HKG:6993), we don't think it's current trends fit the mold of a multi-bagger.

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. The formula for this calculation on Blue Moon Group Holdings is:

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

0.086 = HK$1.1b ÷ (HK$15b - HK$1.9b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2021).

Thus, Blue Moon Group Holdings has an ROCE of 8.6%. Even though it's in line with the industry average of 8.6%, it's still a low return by itself.

Check out our latest analysis for Blue Moon Group Holdings

Above you can see how the current ROCE for Blue Moon Group Holdings compares to its prior returns on capital, but there's only so much you can tell from the past. If you're interested, you can view the analysts predictions in our free report on analyst forecasts for the company.

So How Is Blue Moon Group Holdings' ROCE Trending?

In terms of Blue Moon Group Holdings' historical ROCE trend, it doesn't exactly demand attention. Over the past four years, ROCE has remained relatively flat at around 8.6% and the business has deployed 653% more capital into its operations. Given the company has increased the amount of capital employed, it appears the investments that have been made simply don't provide a high return on capital.

One more thing to note, even though ROCE has remained relatively flat over the last four years, the reduction in current liabilities to 13% of total assets, is good to see from a business owner's perspective. This can eliminate some of the risks inherent in the operations because the business has less outstanding obligations to their suppliers and or short-term creditors than they did previously.

What We Can Learn From Blue Moon Group Holdings' ROCE

As we've seen above, Blue Moon Group Holdings' returns on capital haven't increased but it is reinvesting in the business. Since the stock has declined 30% over the last year, investors may not be too optimistic on this trend improving either. In any case, the stock doesn't have these traits of a multi-bagger discussed above, so if that's what you're looking for, we think you'd have more luck elsewhere.

Blue Moon 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 Blue Moon Group Holdings may not currently earn the highest returns, we've compiled a list of companies that currently earn more than 25% return on equity. Check out this free list here.

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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.