The Returns On Capital At PTC Industries (NSE:PTCIL) Don't Inspire Confidence

There are a few key trends to look for if we want to identify the next multi-bagger. Ideally, a business will show two trends; firstly a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and secondly, an increasing amount of capital employed. This shows us that it's a compounding machine, able to continually reinvest its earnings back into the business and generate higher returns. However, after investigating PTC Industries (NSE:PTCIL), we don't think it's current trends fit the mold of a multi-bagger.

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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. To calculate this metric for PTC Industries, this is the formula:

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

0.031 = ₹487m ÷ (₹17b - ₹1.7b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2025).

So, PTC Industries has an ROCE of 3.1%. In absolute terms, that's a low return and it also under-performs the Metals and Mining industry average of 12%.

Check out our latest analysis for PTC Industries

Above you can see how the current ROCE for PTC Industries 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 PTC Industries for free.

The Trend Of ROCE

When we looked at the ROCE trend at PTC Industries, we didn't gain much confidence. To be more specific, ROCE has fallen from 7.4% over the last five years. 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, PTC Industries has decreased its current liabilities to 9.7% of total assets. So we could link some of this to the decrease in ROCE. What's more, this can reduce some aspects of risk to the business because now the company's suppliers or short-term creditors are funding less of its operations. Since the business is basically funding more of its operations with it's own money, you could argue this has made the business less efficient at generating ROCE.

The Bottom Line

While returns have fallen for PTC Industries in recent times, we're encouraged to see that sales are growing and that the business is reinvesting in its operations. And the stock has followed suit returning a meaningful 52% to shareholders over the last year. So while the underlying trends could already be accounted for by investors, we still think this stock is worth looking into further.

If you'd like to know about the risks facing PTC Industries, we've discovered 1 warning sign that you should be aware of.

While PTC Industries 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.