The Returns On Capital At Maike Tube Industry Holdings (HKG:1553) Don't Inspire Confidence

If we want to find a stock that could multiply over the long term, what are the underlying trends we should look for? 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. Although, when we looked at Maike Tube Industry Holdings (HKG:1553), it didn't seem to tick all of these boxes.

Understanding Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)

For those who don't know, ROCE is a measure of a company's yearly pre-tax profit (its return), relative to the capital employed in the business. The formula for this calculation on Maike Tube Industry Holdings is:

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

0.13 = CN¥99m ÷ (CN¥1.2b - CN¥377m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2021).

So, Maike Tube Industry Holdings has an ROCE of 13%. That's a pretty standard return and it's in line with the industry average of 13%.

See our latest analysis for Maike Tube Industry Holdings

Historical performance is a great place to start when researching a stock so above you can see the gauge for Maike Tube Industry Holdings' ROCE against it's prior returns. If you'd like to look at how Maike Tube Industry Holdings has performed in the past in other metrics, you can view this free graph of past earnings, revenue and cash flow.

What Can We Tell From Maike Tube Industry Holdings' ROCE Trend?

When we looked at the ROCE trend at Maike Tube Industry Holdings, we didn't gain much confidence. To be more specific, ROCE has fallen from 27% over the last four years. However, given capital employed and revenue have both increased it appears that the business is currently pursuing growth, at the consequence of short term returns. If these investments prove successful, this can bode very well for long term stock performance.

On a related note, Maike Tube Industry Holdings has decreased its current liabilities to 32% of total assets. That could partly explain why the ROCE has dropped. Effectively this means their suppliers or short-term creditors are funding less of the business, which reduces some elements of risk. Since the business is basically funding more of its operations with it's own money, you could argue this has made the business less efficient at generating ROCE.

The Key Takeaway

While returns have fallen for Maike Tube Industry Holdings in recent times, we're encouraged to see that sales are growing and that the business is reinvesting in its operations. However, despite the promising trends, the stock has fallen 14% over the last year, so there might be an opportunity here for astute investors. So we think it'd be worthwhile to look further into this stock given the trends look encouraging.

Maike Tube Industry Holdings does have some risks, we noticed 4 warning signs (and 1 which is concerning) we think you should know about.

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.