What are the early trends we should look for to identify a stock that could multiply in value over the long term? Amongst other things, we'll want to see two things; firstly, a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and secondly, an expansion in the company's 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. Speaking of which, we noticed some great changes in Plasson Industries' (TLV:PLSN) returns on capital, so let's have a look.
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. To calculate this metric for Plasson Industries, this is the formula:
Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)
0.14 = ₪186m ÷ (₪2.0b - ₪695m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2021).
Thus, Plasson Industries has an ROCE of 14%. In absolute terms, that's a satisfactory return, but compared to the Machinery industry average of 8.4% it's much better.
Check out our latest analysis for Plasson Industries
Historical performance is a great place to start when researching a stock so above you can see the gauge for Plasson Industries' ROCE against it's prior returns. If you're interested in investigating Plasson Industries' past further, check out this free graph of past earnings, revenue and cash flow.
What Can We Tell From Plasson Industries' ROCE Trend?
The trends we've noticed at Plasson Industries are quite reassuring. Over the last five years, returns on capital employed have risen substantially to 14%. The company is effectively making more money per dollar of capital used, and it's worth noting that the amount of capital has increased too, by 32%. This can indicate that there's plenty of opportunities to invest capital internally and at ever higher rates, a combination that's common among multi-baggers.
What We Can Learn From Plasson Industries' ROCE
To sum it up, Plasson 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 132% to shareholders over the last five years, it looks like investors are recognizing these changes. So given the stock has proven it has promising trends, it's worth researching the company further to see if these trends are likely to persist.
One more thing, we've spotted 1 warning sign facing Plasson Industries that you might find interesting.
While Plasson 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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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.
About TASE:PLSN
Plasson Industries
Develops, manufactures, and markets technical products in Israel, Europe, Brazil, Oceania, the United States, Asia, Africa, and rest of the Americas.
Flawless balance sheet with solid track record.