If we want to find a stock that could multiply over the long term, what are the underlying trends we should look for? 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 Varroc Engineering's (NSE:VARROC) 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. Analysts use this formula to calculate it for Varroc Engineering:
Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)
0.22 = ₹4.7b ÷ (₹47b - ₹26b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2025).
Thus, Varroc Engineering has an ROCE of 22%. In absolute terms that's a great return and it's even better than the Auto Components industry average of 13%.
See our latest analysis for Varroc Engineering
Above you can see how the current ROCE for Varroc Engineering compares to its prior returns on capital, but there's only so much you can tell from the past. If you're interested, you can view the analysts predictions in our free analyst report for Varroc Engineering .
The Trend Of ROCE
Like most people, we're pleased that Varroc Engineering is now generating some pretax earnings. Historically the company was generating losses but as we can see from the latest figures referenced above, they're now earning 22% on their capital employed. Additionally, the business is utilizing 58% less capital than it was five years ago, and taken at face value, that can mean the company needs less funds at work to get a return. The reduction could indicate that the company is selling some assets, and considering returns are up, they appear to be selling the right ones.
Another thing to note, Varroc Engineering has a high ratio of current liabilities to total assets of 55%. This can bring about some risks because the company is basically operating with a rather large reliance on its suppliers or other sorts of short-term creditors. While it's not necessarily a bad thing, it can be beneficial if this ratio is lower.
What We Can Learn From Varroc Engineering's ROCE
In a nutshell, we're pleased to see that Varroc Engineering has been able to generate higher returns from less capital. Since the stock has returned a solid 95% to shareholders over the last five years, it's fair to say investors are beginning to recognize these changes. With that being said, we still think the promising fundamentals mean the company deserves some further due diligence.
If you'd like to know about the risks facing Varroc Engineering, we've discovered 3 warning signs that you should be aware of.
Varroc Engineering is not the only stock earning high returns. If you'd like to see more, check out our free list of companies earning high returns on equity with solid fundamentals.
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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.