Devyani International (NSE:DEVYANI) Is Looking To Continue Growing Its Returns On Capital

There are a few key trends to look for if we want to identify the next multi-bagger. Typically, we'll want to notice a trend of growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and alongside that, an expanding base of capital employed. Ultimately, this demonstrates that it's a business that is reinvesting profits at increasing rates of return. With that in mind, we've noticed some promising trends at Devyani International (NSE:DEVYANI) so let's look a bit deeper.

Return On Capital Employed (ROCE): What Is It?

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 Devyani International, this is the formula:

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

0.18 = ₹3.7b ÷ (₹26b - ₹5.3b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2022).

Therefore, Devyani International has an ROCE of 18%. On its own, that's a standard return, however it's much better than the 9.9% generated by the Hospitality industry.

Check out our latest analysis for Devyani International

In the above chart we have measured Devyani International's prior ROCE against its prior performance, but the future is arguably more important. If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free report for Devyani International.

The Trend Of ROCE

The fact that Devyani International is now generating some pre-tax profits from its prior investments is very encouraging. About five years ago the company was generating losses but things have turned around because it's now earning 18% on its capital. And unsurprisingly, like most companies trying to break into the black, Devyani International is utilizing 450% more capital than it was five years ago. We like this trend, because it tells us the company has profitable reinvestment opportunities available to it, and if it continues going forward that can lead to a multi-bagger performance.

One more thing to note, Devyani International has decreased current liabilities to 20% of total assets over this period, which effectively reduces the amount of funding from suppliers or short-term creditors. This tells us that Devyani International has grown its returns without a reliance on increasing their current liabilities, which we're very happy with.

The Key Takeaway

Overall, Devyani International gets a big tick from us thanks in most part to the fact that it is now profitable and is reinvesting in its business. Since the stock has only returned 2.1% to shareholders over the last year, the promising fundamentals may not be recognized yet by investors. So exploring more about this stock could uncover a good opportunity, if the valuation and other metrics stack up.

Before jumping to any conclusions though, we need to know what value we're getting for the current share price. That's where you can check out our FREE intrinsic value estimation that compares the share price and estimated value.

While Devyani International isn't earning the highest return, check out this free list of companies that are earning high returns on equity with solid balance sheets.

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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.