What are the early trends we should look for to identify a stock that could multiply in value over the long term? One common approach is to try and find a company with returns on capital employed (ROCE) that are increasing, in conjunction with a growing amount of capital employed. Ultimately, this demonstrates that it's a business that is reinvesting profits at increasing rates of return. Speaking of which, we noticed some great changes in CCID Consulting's (HKG:8235) returns on capital, so let's have a look.
What is 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 CCID Consulting, this is the formula:
Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)
0.18 = CN¥38m ÷ (CN¥293m - CN¥83m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2020).
Thus, CCID Consulting has an ROCE of 18%. In absolute terms, that's a satisfactory return, but compared to the IT industry average of 8.5% it's much better.
Check out our latest analysis for CCID Consulting
While the past is not representative of the future, it can be helpful to know how a company has performed historically, which is why we have this chart above. If you're interested in investigating CCID Consulting's past further, check out this free graph of past earnings, revenue and cash flow.
The Trend Of ROCE
CCID Consulting is displaying some positive trends. Over the last five years, returns on capital employed have risen substantially to 18%. Basically the business is earning more per dollar of capital invested and in addition to that, 37% more capital is being employed now too. The increasing returns on a growing amount of capital is common amongst multi-baggers and that's why we're impressed.
For the record though, there was a noticeable increase in the company's current liabilities over the period, so we would attribute some of the ROCE growth to that. The current liabilities has increased to 28% of total assets, so the business is now more funded by the likes of its suppliers or short-term creditors. It's worth keeping an eye on this because as the percentage of current liabilities to total assets increases, some aspects of risk also increase.Our Take On CCID Consulting's ROCE
All in all, it's terrific to see that CCID Consulting is reaping the rewards from prior investments and is growing its capital base. Since the stock has only returned 9.1% to shareholders over the last five years, the promising fundamentals may not be recognized yet by investors. So exploring more about this stock could uncover a good opportunity, if the valuation and other metrics stack up.
One more thing to note, we've identified 2 warning signs with CCID Consulting and understanding them should be part of your investment process.
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.
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