If we want to find a potential multi-bagger, often there are underlying trends that can provide clues. Ideally, a business will show two trends; firstly a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and secondly, an increasing amount 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. Speaking of which, we noticed some great changes in Dongwon Metal's (KRX:018500) returns on capital, so let's have a look.
Return On Capital Employed (ROCE): What Is It?
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. To calculate this metric for Dongwon Metal, this is the formula:
Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)
0.15 = ₩36b ÷ (₩479b - ₩235b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to March 2024).
Thus, Dongwon Metal has an ROCE of 15%. On its own, that's a standard return, however it's much better than the 8.5% generated by the Auto Components industry.
Check out our latest analysis for Dongwon Metal
Historical performance is a great place to start when researching a stock so above you can see the gauge for Dongwon Metal'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 Dongwon Metal.
What The Trend Of ROCE Can Tell Us
Dongwon Metal has recently broken into profitability so their prior investments seem to be paying off. About five years ago the company was generating losses but things have turned around because it's now earning 15% on its capital. And unsurprisingly, like most companies trying to break into the black, Dongwon Metal is utilizing 39% more capital than it was five years ago. We like this trend, because it tells us the company has profitable reinvestment opportunities available to it, and if it continues going forward that can lead to a multi-bagger performance.
On a related note, the company's ratio of current liabilities to total assets has decreased to 49%, which basically reduces it's funding from the likes of short-term creditors or suppliers. So shareholders would be pleased that the growth in returns has mostly come from underlying business performance. Nevertheless, there are some potential risks the company is bearing with current liabilities that high, so just keep that in mind.
What We Can Learn From Dongwon Metal's ROCE
Overall, Dongwon Metal gets a big tick from us thanks in most part to the fact that it is now profitable and is reinvesting in its business. And investors seem to expect more of this going forward, since the stock has rewarded shareholders with a 66% return over the last five years. With that being said, we still think the promising fundamentals mean the company deserves some further due diligence.
If you'd like to know more about Dongwon Metal, we've spotted 3 warning signs, and 1 of them doesn't sit too well with us.
While Dongwon Metal may not currently earn the highest returns, we've compiled a list of companies that currently earn more than 25% return on equity. Check out this free list here.
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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.
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About KOSE:A018500
Dongwon Metal
Engages in the production and sale of automobile parts and steel pipes in the United States, Europe, and Asia.
Slight with mediocre balance sheet.
