Returns At Payton Industries (TLV:PAYT) Are On The Way Up

There are a few key trends to look for if we want to identify the next multi-bagger. Firstly, we'll want to see a proven return on capital employed (ROCE) that is increasing, and secondly, an expanding base of capital employed. Put simply, these types of businesses are compounding machines, meaning they are continually reinvesting their earnings at ever-higher rates of return. So when we looked at Payton Industries (TLV:PAYT) and its trend of ROCE, we really liked what we saw.

Return On Capital Employed (ROCE): What is it?

For those that aren't sure what ROCE is, it measures the amount of pre-tax profits a company can generate from the capital employed in its business. The formula for this calculation on Payton Industries is:

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

0.18 = US$12m ÷ (US$72m - US$8.7m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2020).

So, Payton Industries has an ROCE of 18%. In absolute terms, that's a satisfactory return, but compared to the Electrical industry average of 8.5% it's much better.

View our latest analysis for Payton Industries

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'd like to look at how Payton Industries has performed in the past in other metrics, you can view this free graph of past earnings, revenue and cash flow.

What The Trend Of ROCE Can Tell Us

We like the trends that we're seeing from Payton Industries. The data shows that returns on capital have increased substantially over the last five years to 18%. Basically the business is earning more per dollar of capital invested and in addition to that, 85% 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.

The Bottom Line On Payton Industries' ROCE

To sum it up, Payton Industries has proven it can reinvest in the business and generate higher returns on that capital employed, which is terrific. Since the stock has returned a staggering 304% to shareholders over the last five years, it looks like investors are recognizing these changes. In light of that, we think it's worth looking further into this stock because if Payton Industries can keep these trends up, it could have a bright future ahead.

While Payton Industries looks impressive, no company is worth an infinite price. The intrinsic value infographic in our free research report helps visualize whether PAYT is currently trading for a fair price.

While Payton Industries 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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