Returns On Capital At Vikas EcoTech (NSE:VIKASECO) Paint A Concerning Picture

If you're looking for a multi-bagger, there's a few things to keep an eye out for. Firstly, we'll want to see a proven return on capital employed (ROCE) that is increasing, and secondly, an expanding base 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. Having said that, from a first glance at Vikas EcoTech (NSE:VIKASECO) we aren't jumping out of our chairs at how returns are trending, but let's have a deeper look.

Understanding 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 Vikas EcoTech:

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

0.054 = ₹80m ÷ (₹3.6b - ₹2.2b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2020).

Thus, Vikas EcoTech has an ROCE of 5.4%. In absolute terms, that's a low return and it also under-performs the Chemicals industry average of 16%.

See our latest analysis for Vikas EcoTech

While the past is not representative of the future, it can be helpful to know how a company has performed historically, which is why we have this chart above. If you're interested in investigating Vikas EcoTech's past further, check out this free graph of past earnings, revenue and cash flow.

So How Is Vikas EcoTech's ROCE Trending?

On the surface, the trend of ROCE at Vikas EcoTech doesn't inspire confidence. To be more specific, ROCE has fallen from 53% 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.

On a separate but related note, it's important to know that Vikas EcoTech has a current liabilities to total assets ratio of 59%, which we'd consider pretty high. This effectively means that suppliers (or short-term creditors) are funding a large portion of the business, so just be aware that this can introduce some elements of risk. Ideally we'd like to see this reduce as that would mean fewer obligations bearing risks.

The Bottom Line On Vikas EcoTech's ROCE

We're a bit apprehensive about Vikas EcoTech because despite more capital being deployed in the business, returns on that capital and sales have both fallen. We expect this has contributed to the stock plummeting 86% during the last five years. With underlying trends that aren't great in these areas, we'd consider looking elsewhere.

If you want to know some of the risks facing Vikas EcoTech we've found 4 warning signs (3 can't be ignored!) that you should be aware of before investing here.

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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