Here's What's Concerning About Townnews-ShaLtd's (TYO:2481) Returns On Capital

When researching a stock for investment, what can tell us that the company is in decline? Businesses in decline often have two underlying trends, firstly, a declining return on capital employed (ROCE) and a declining base of capital employed. This indicates the company is producing less profit from its investments and its total assets are decreasing. In light of that, from a first glance at Townnews-ShaLtd (TYO:2481), we've spotted some signs that it could be struggling, so let's investigate.

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 Townnews-ShaLtd:

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

0.014 = JP¥50m ÷ (JP¥3.9b - JP¥336m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2020).

Thus, Townnews-ShaLtd has an ROCE of 1.4%. In absolute terms, that's a low return and it also under-performs the Media industry average of 10%.

View our latest analysis for Townnews-ShaLtd

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 Townnews-ShaLtd's past further, check out this free graph of past earnings, revenue and cash flow.

What Can We Tell From Townnews-ShaLtd's ROCE Trend?

In terms of Townnews-ShaLtd's historical ROCE movements, the trend doesn't inspire confidence. Unfortunately the returns on capital have diminished from the 11% that they were earning five years ago. Meanwhile, capital employed in the business has stayed roughly the flat over the period. Since returns are falling and the business has the same amount of assets employed, this can suggest it's a mature business that hasn't had much growth in the last five years. So because these trends aren't typically conducive to creating a multi-bagger, we wouldn't hold our breath on Townnews-ShaLtd becoming one if things continue as they have.

The Key Takeaway

In the end, the trend of lower returns on the same amount of capital isn't typically an indication that we're looking at a growth stock. Investors must expect better things on the horizon though because the stock has risen 20% in the last five years. Regardless, we don't like the trends as they are and if they persist, we think you might find better investments elsewhere.

Townnews-ShaLtd does have some risks, we noticed 4 warning signs (and 1 which can't be ignored) we think you should know about.

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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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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