UltraTech Cement (NSE:ULTRACEMCO) Is Experiencing Growth In Returns On Capital

If you're not sure where to start when looking for the next multi-bagger, there are a few key trends you should keep an eye out for. Amongst other things, we'll want to see two things; firstly, a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and secondly, an expansion in the company's amount of capital employed. Basically this means that a company has profitable initiatives that it can continue to reinvest in, which is a trait of a compounding machine. So on that note, UltraTech Cement (NSE:ULTRACEMCO) looks quite promising in regards to its trends of return on capital.

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 UltraTech Cement:

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

0.15 = ₹101b ÷ (₹862b - ₹206b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2021).

Therefore, UltraTech Cement has an ROCE of 15%. By itself that's a normal return on capital and it's in line with the industry's average returns of 15%.

View our latest analysis for UltraTech Cement

Above you can see how the current ROCE for UltraTech Cement compares to its prior returns on capital, but there's only so much you can tell from the past. If you're interested, you can view the analysts predictions in our free report on analyst forecasts for the company.

What The Trend Of ROCE Can Tell Us

Investors would be pleased with what's happening at UltraTech Cement. The data shows that returns on capital have increased substantially over the last five years to 15%. The company is effectively making more money per dollar of capital used, and it's worth noting that the amount of capital has increased too, by 122%. So we're very much inspired by what we're seeing at UltraTech Cement thanks to its ability to profitably reinvest capital.

The Bottom Line

In summary, it's great to see that UltraTech Cement can compound returns by consistently reinvesting capital at increasing rates of return, because these are some of the key ingredients of those highly sought after multi-baggers. And a remarkable 104% total return over the last five years tells us that investors are expecting more good things to come in the future. With that being said, we still think the promising fundamentals mean the company deserves some further due diligence.

On a separate note, we've found 2 warning signs for UltraTech Cement you'll probably want to know about.

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.
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