Is Ratnamani Metals & Tubes (NSE:RATNAMANI) Likely To Turn Things Around?

If we want to find a potential multi-bagger, often there are underlying trends that can provide clues. Firstly, we'll want to see a proven return on capital employed (ROCE) that is increasing, and secondly, an expanding base 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. However, after briefly looking over the numbers, we don't think Ratnamani Metals & Tubes (NSE:RATNAMANI) has the makings of a multi-bagger going forward, but let's have a look at why that may be.

What is Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)?

If you haven't worked with ROCE before, it measures the 'return' (pre-tax profit) a company generates from capital employed in its business. Analysts use this formula to calculate it for Ratnamani Metals & Tubes:

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

0.14 = ₹2.7b ÷ (₹24b - ₹3.9b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2020).

Therefore, Ratnamani Metals & Tubes has an ROCE of 14%. In absolute terms, that's a satisfactory return, but compared to the Metals and Mining industry average of 9.4% it's much better.

View our latest analysis for Ratnamani Metals & Tubes

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

What The Trend Of ROCE Can Tell Us

In terms of Ratnamani Metals & Tubes' historical ROCE movements, the trend isn't fantastic. To be more specific, ROCE has fallen from 23% over the last five years. Given the business is employing more capital while revenue has slipped, this is a bit concerning. This could mean that the business is losing its competitive advantage or market share, because while more money is being put into ventures, it's actually producing a lower return - "less bang for their buck" per se.

The Key Takeaway

We're a bit apprehensive about Ratnamani Metals & Tubes because despite more capital being deployed in the business, returns on that capital and sales have both fallen. The market must be rosy on the stock's future because even though the underlying trends aren't too encouraging, the stock has soared 359%. Regardless, we don't feel too comfortable with the fundamentals so we'd be steering clear of this stock for now.

On a final note, we've found 2 warning signs for Ratnamani Metals & Tubes that we think you should be aware of.

While Ratnamani Metals & Tubes 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. 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.
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