Hrvatski Telekom d.d (ZGSE:HT) Hasn't Managed To Accelerate Its Returns

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. Ideally, a business will show two trends; firstly a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and secondly, an increasing amount of capital employed. If you see this, it typically means it's a company with a great business model and plenty of profitable reinvestment opportunities. In light of that, when we looked at Hrvatski Telekom d.d (ZGSE:HT) and its ROCE trend, we weren't exactly thrilled.

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. The formula for this calculation on Hrvatski Telekom d.d is:

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

0.094 = €162m ÷ (€2.0b - €266m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2023).

So, Hrvatski Telekom d.d has an ROCE of 9.4%. On its own that's a low return on capital but it's in line with the industry's average returns of 9.2%.

View our latest analysis for Hrvatski Telekom d.d

Above you can see how the current ROCE for Hrvatski Telekom d.d 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 Hrvatski Telekom d.d here for free.

The Trend Of ROCE

Over the past five years, Hrvatski Telekom d.d's ROCE and capital employed have both remained mostly flat. This tells us the company isn't reinvesting in itself, so it's plausible that it's past the growth phase. With that in mind, unless investment picks up again in the future, we wouldn't expect Hrvatski Telekom d.d to be a multi-bagger going forward. That being the case, it makes sense that Hrvatski Telekom d.d has been paying out 100% of its earnings to its shareholders. These mature businesses typically have reliable earnings and not many places to reinvest them, so the next best option is to put the earnings into shareholders pockets.

Our Take On Hrvatski Telekom d.d's ROCE

In summary, Hrvatski Telekom d.d isn't compounding its earnings but is generating stable returns on the same amount of capital employed. Although the market must be expecting these trends to improve because the stock has gained 62% over the last five years. However, unless these underlying trends turn more positive, we wouldn't get our hopes up too high.

If you'd like to know about the risks facing Hrvatski Telekom d.d, 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.