APL Apollo Tubes' (NSE:APLAPOLLO) Returns Have Hit A Wall

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. If you see this, it typically means it's a company with a great business model and plenty of profitable reinvestment opportunities. So, when we ran our eye over APL Apollo Tubes' (NSE:APLAPOLLO) trend of ROCE, we liked what we saw.

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

For those that aren't sure what ROCE is, it measures the amount of pre-tax profits a company can generate from the capital employed in its business. Analysts use this formula to calculate it for APL Apollo Tubes:

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

0.18 = ₹8.2b ÷ (₹72b - ₹26b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2024).

Therefore, APL Apollo Tubes has an ROCE of 18%. In absolute terms, that's a satisfactory return, but compared to the Metals and Mining industry average of 14% it's much better.

Check out our latest analysis for APL Apollo Tubes

Above you can see how the current ROCE for APL Apollo Tubes compares to its prior returns on capital, but there's only so much you can tell from the past. If you'd like, you can check out the forecasts from the analysts covering APL Apollo Tubes for free.

What Does the ROCE Trend For APL Apollo Tubes Tell Us?

While the current returns on capital are decent, they haven't changed much. The company has employed 182% more capital in the last five years, and the returns on that capital have remained stable at 18%. 18% is a pretty standard return, and it provides some comfort knowing that APL Apollo Tubes has consistently earned this amount. Stable returns in this ballpark can be unexciting, but if they can be maintained over the long run, they often provide nice rewards to shareholders.

In Conclusion...

To sum it up, APL Apollo Tubes has simply been reinvesting capital steadily, at those decent rates of return. And the stock has done incredibly well with a 716% return over the last five years, so long term investors are no doubt ecstatic with that result. So even though the stock might be more "expensive" than it was before, we think the strong fundamentals warrant this stock for further research.

If you want to continue researching APL Apollo Tubes, you might be interested to know about the 1 warning sign that our analysis has discovered.

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.