A Look Into Digital Value's (BIT:DGV) Impressive Returns On Capital

What are the early trends we should look for to identify a stock that could multiply in value over the long term? Typically, we'll want to notice a trend of growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and alongside that, an expanding 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. That's why when we briefly looked at Digital Value's (BIT:DGV) ROCE trend, we were very happy with what we saw.

Return On Capital Employed (ROCE): What is it?

For those that aren't sure what ROCE is, it measures the amount of pre-tax profits a company can generate from the capital employed in its business. The formula for this calculation on Digital Value is:

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

0.29 = €29m ÷ (€307m - €208m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2020).

Thus, Digital Value has an ROCE of 29%. In absolute terms that's a great return and it's even better than the Software industry average of 12%.

Check out our latest analysis for Digital Value

Above you can see how the current ROCE for Digital Value 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.

How Are Returns Trending?

It's hard not to be impressed by Digital Value's returns on capital. Over the past one year, ROCE has remained relatively flat at around 29% and the business has deployed 52% more capital into its operations. With returns that high, it's great that the business can continually reinvest its money at such appealing rates of return. You'll see this when looking at well operated businesses or favorable business models.

On a side note, Digital Value's current liabilities are still rather high at 68% of total assets. This can bring about some risks because the company is basically operating with a rather large reliance on its suppliers or other sorts of short-term creditors. While it's not necessarily a bad thing, it can be beneficial if this ratio is lower.

In Conclusion...

Digital Value has demonstrated its proficiency by generating high returns on increasing amounts of capital employed, which we're thrilled about. And the stock has followed suit returning a meaningful 99% to shareholders over the last year. So while investors seem to be recognizing these promising trends, we still believe the stock deserves further research.

One more thing: We've identified 3 warning signs with Digital Value (at least 1 which can't be ignored) , and understanding these would certainly be useful.

If you'd like to see other companies earning high returns, check out our free list of companies earning high returns with solid balance sheets here.

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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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