ACEA (BIT:ACE) May Have Issues Allocating Its Capital

If we want to find a stock that could multiply over the long term, what are the underlying trends we should look for? Firstly, we'd want to identify a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and then alongside that, an ever-increasing base 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. However, after briefly looking over the numbers, we don't think ACEA (BIT:ACE) has the makings of a multi-bagger going forward, but let's have a look at why that may be.

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. To calculate this metric for ACEA, this is the formula:

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

0.053 = €448m ÷ (€12b - €3.4b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2023).

Therefore, ACEA has an ROCE of 5.3%. On its own, that's a low figure but it's around the 6.1% average generated by the Integrated Utilities industry.

Check out our latest analysis for ACEA

Above you can see how the current ROCE for ACEA compares to its prior returns on capital, but there's only so much you can tell from the past. If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free analyst report for ACEA .

What Can We Tell From ACEA's ROCE Trend?

On the surface, the trend of ROCE at ACEA doesn't inspire confidence. To be more specific, ROCE has fallen from 6.7% over the last five years. On the other hand, the company has been employing more capital without a corresponding improvement in sales in the last year, which could suggest these investments are longer term plays. It's worth keeping an eye on the company's earnings from here on to see if these investments do end up contributing to the bottom line.

Our Take On ACEA's ROCE

Bringing it all together, while we're somewhat encouraged by ACEA's reinvestment in its own business, we're aware that returns are shrinking. And with the stock having returned a mere 18% in the last five years to shareholders, you could argue that they're aware of these lackluster trends. Therefore, if you're looking for a multi-bagger, we'd propose looking at other options.

ACEA does come with some risks though, we found 2 warning signs in our investment analysis, and 1 of those is a bit concerning...

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.