If we want to find a potential multi-bagger, often there are underlying trends that can provide clues. Firstly, we'd want to identify a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and then alongside that, an ever-increasing base 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. In light of that, when we looked at Sandesh (NSE:SANDESH) and its ROCE trend, we weren't exactly thrilled.
What Is Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)?
For those who don't know, ROCE is a measure of a company's yearly pre-tax profit (its return), relative to the capital employed in the business. Analysts use this formula to calculate it for Sandesh:
Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)
0.076 = ₹1.1b ÷ (₹14b - ₹505m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2025).
So, Sandesh has an ROCE of 7.6%. In absolute terms, that's a low return but it's around the Media industry average of 6.4%.
See our latest analysis for Sandesh
Historical performance is a great place to start when researching a stock so above you can see the gauge for Sandesh's ROCE against it's prior returns. If you want to delve into the historical earnings , check out these free graphs detailing revenue and cash flow performance of Sandesh.
So How Is Sandesh's ROCE Trending?
In terms of Sandesh's historical ROCE trend, it doesn't exactly demand attention. The company has consistently earned 7.6% for the last five years, and the capital employed within the business has risen 76% in that time. This poor ROCE doesn't inspire confidence right now, and with the increase in capital employed, it's evident that the business isn't deploying the funds into high return investments.
Our Take On Sandesh's ROCE
In summary, Sandesh has simply been reinvesting capital and generating the same low rate of return as before. Investors must think there's better things to come because the stock has knocked it out of the park, delivering a 193% gain to shareholders who have held over the last five years. However, unless these underlying trends turn more positive, we wouldn't get our hopes up too high.
On a separate note, we've found 1 warning sign for Sandesh you'll probably want to know about.
While Sandesh 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.
About NSEI:SANDESH
Sandesh
Together with its subsidiary, Sandesh Digital Private Limited, engages in the editing, printing, and publishing of newspapers and periodicals in India.
Flawless balance sheet established dividend payer.
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