Investors Could Be Concerned With ACC's (NSE:ACC) Returns On Capital

What are the early trends we should look for to identify a stock that could multiply in value over the long term? Ideally, a business will show two trends; firstly a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and secondly, an increasing amount 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. However, after investigating ACC (NSE:ACC), we don't think it's current trends fit the mold of a multi-bagger.

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

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. To calculate this metric for ACC, this is the formula:

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

0.04 = ₹6.0b ÷ (₹205b - ₹56b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to March 2023).

Therefore, ACC has an ROCE of 4.0%. Ultimately, that's a low return and it under-performs the Basic Materials industry average of 6.7%.

See our latest analysis for ACC

In the above chart we have measured ACC's prior ROCE against its prior performance, but the future is arguably more important. If you'd like, you can check out the forecasts from the analysts covering ACC here for free.

What The Trend Of ROCE Can Tell Us

When we looked at the ROCE trend at ACC, we didn't gain much confidence. Over the last five years, returns on capital have decreased to 4.0% from 13% five years ago. However it looks like ACC might be reinvesting for long term growth because while capital employed has increased, the company's sales haven't changed much in the last 12 months. It's worth keeping an eye on the company's earnings from here on to see if these investments do end up contributing to the bottom line.

The Key Takeaway

Bringing it all together, while we're somewhat encouraged by ACC's reinvestment in its own business, we're aware that returns are shrinking. Unsurprisingly, the stock has only gained 40% over the last five years, which potentially indicates that investors are accounting for this going forward. As a result, if you're hunting for a multi-bagger, we think you'd have more luck elsewhere.

If you'd like to know more about ACC, we've spotted 3 warning signs, and 1 of them is concerning.

For those who like to invest in solid companies, check out this free list of companies with solid balance sheets and high 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.