Is Zensar Technologies Limited’s (NSE:ZENSARTECH) 19% ROCE Any Good?

Today we'll evaluate Zensar Technologies Limited (NSE:ZENSARTECH) to determine whether it could have potential as an investment idea. Specifically, we'll consider its Return On Capital Employed (ROCE), since that will give us an insight into how efficiently the business can generate profits from the capital it requires.

First, we'll go over how we calculate ROCE. Second, we'll look at its ROCE compared to similar companies. Last but not least, we'll look at what impact its current liabilities have on its ROCE.

Understanding Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)

ROCE measures the amount of pre-tax profits a company can generate from the capital employed in its business. Generally speaking a higher ROCE is better. Ultimately, it is a useful but imperfect metric. Author Edwin Whiting says to be careful when comparing the ROCE of different businesses, since 'No two businesses are exactly alike.'

How Do You Calculate Return On Capital Employed?

The formula for calculating the return on capital employed is:

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

Or for Zensar Technologies:

0.19 = ₹3.7b ÷ (₹30b - ₹10b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2018.)

Therefore, Zensar Technologies has an ROCE of 19%.

View our latest analysis for Zensar Technologies

Does Zensar Technologies Have A Good ROCE?

ROCE can be useful when making comparisons, such as between similar companies. Using our data, we find that Zensar Technologies's ROCE is meaningfully better than the 11% average in the Software industry. We would consider this a positive, as it suggests it is using capital more effectively than other similar companies. Independently of how Zensar Technologies compares to its industry, its ROCE in absolute terms appears decent, and the company may be worthy of closer investigation.

As we can see, Zensar Technologies currently has an ROCE of 19%, less than the 29% it reported 3 years ago. This makes us wonder if the business is facing new challenges.

Remember that this metric is backwards looking - it shows what has happened in the past, and does not accurately predict the future. ROCE can be misleading for companies in cyclical industries, with returns looking impressive during the boom times, but very weak during the busts. ROCE is, after all, simply a snap shot of a single year. Since the future is so important for investors, you should check out our freereport on analyst forecasts for Zensar Technologies.

Do Zensar Technologies's Current Liabilities Skew Its ROCE?

Liabilities, such as supplier bills and bank overdrafts, are referred to as current liabilities if they need to be paid within 12 months. Due to the way the ROCE equation works, having large bills due in the near term can make it look as though a company has less capital employed, and thus a higher ROCE than usual. To counter this, investors can check if a company has high current liabilities relative to total assets.

Zensar Technologies has total liabilities of ₹10b and total assets of ₹30b. Therefore its current liabilities are equivalent to approximately 34% of its total assets. Zensar Technologies has a medium level of current liabilities, which would boost the ROCE.

Our Take On Zensar Technologies's ROCE

With a decent ROCE, the company could be interesting, but remember that the level of current liabilities make the ROCE look better. You might be able to find a better buy than Zensar Technologies. If you want a selection of possible winners, check out this freelist of interesting companies that trade on a P/E below 20 (but have proven they can grow earnings).

I will like Zensar Technologies better if I see some big insider buys. While we wait, check out this freelist of growing companies with considerable, recent, insider buying.

We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. 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. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.