Some Investors May Be Worried About Godrej Industries' (NSE:GODREJIND) Returns On Capital

To find a multi-bagger stock, what are the underlying trends we should look for in a business? Firstly, we'll want to see a proven return on capital employed (ROCE) that is increasing, and secondly, an expanding base of capital employed. Ultimately, this demonstrates that it's a business that is reinvesting profits at increasing rates of return. Having said that, from a first glance at Godrej Industries (NSE:GODREJIND) we aren't jumping out of our chairs at how returns are trending, but let's have a deeper 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 Godrej Industries:

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

0.06 = ₹10b ÷ (₹312b - ₹138b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2021).

Thus, Godrej Industries has an ROCE of 6.0%. In absolute terms, that's a low return and it also under-performs the Industrials industry average of 9.7%.

Check out our latest analysis for Godrej Industries

Historical performance is a great place to start when researching a stock so above you can see the gauge for Godrej Industries' ROCE against it's prior returns. If you're interested in investigating Godrej Industries' past further, check out this free graph of past earnings, revenue and cash flow.

What Can We Tell From Godrej Industries' ROCE Trend?

In terms of Godrej Industries' historical ROCE movements, the trend isn't fantastic. Over the last five years, returns on capital have decreased to 6.0% from 13% five years ago. However, given capital employed and revenue have both increased it appears that the business is currently pursuing growth, at the consequence of short term returns. And if the increased capital generates additional returns, the business, and thus shareholders, will benefit in the long run.

On a related note, Godrej Industries has decreased its current liabilities to 44% of total assets. That could partly explain why the ROCE has dropped. Effectively this means their suppliers or short-term creditors are funding less of the business, which reduces some elements of risk. Some would claim this reduces the business' efficiency at generating ROCE since it is now funding more of the operations with its own money. Either way, they're still at a pretty high level, so we'd like to see them fall further if possible.

The Bottom Line On Godrej Industries' ROCE

While returns have fallen for Godrej Industries in recent times, we're encouraged to see that sales are growing and that the business is reinvesting in its operations. These trends are starting to be recognized by investors since the stock has delivered a 6.6% gain to shareholders who've held over the last five years. So this stock may still be an appealing investment opportunity, if other fundamentals prove to be sound.

Godrej Industries does have some risks, we noticed 2 warning signs (and 1 which makes us a bit uncomfortable) we think you should know about.

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.