Will Woowon Development (KOSDAQ:046940) Repeat Its Return Growth Of The Past?

What are the early trends we should look for to identify a stock that could multiply in value over the long term? Ideally, a business will show two trends; firstly a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and secondly, an increasing amount 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. With that in mind, the ROCE of Woowon Development (KOSDAQ:046940) looks great, so lets see what the trend can tell us.

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

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 Woowon Development, this is the formula:

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

0.26 = ₩28b ÷ (₩257b - ₩149b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2020).

Therefore, Woowon Development has an ROCE of 26%. That's a fantastic return and not only that, it outpaces the average of 9.2% earned by companies in a similar industry.

View our latest analysis for Woowon Development

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'd like to look at how Woowon Development has performed in the past in other metrics, you can view this free graph of past earnings, revenue and cash flow.

What Can We Tell From Woowon Development's ROCE Trend?

The trends we've noticed at Woowon Development are quite reassuring. The numbers show that in the last five years, the returns generated on capital employed have grown considerably to 26%. Basically the business is earning more per dollar of capital invested and in addition to that, 113% more capital is being employed now too. The increasing returns on a growing amount of capital is common amongst multi-baggers and that's why we're impressed.

On a side note, Woowon Development's current liabilities are still rather high at 58% 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.

The Key Takeaway

A company that is growing its returns on capital and can consistently reinvest in itself is a highly sought after trait, and that's what Woowon Development has. Since the stock has only returned 21% to shareholders over the last five years, the promising fundamentals may not be recognized yet by investors. So exploring more about this stock could uncover a good opportunity, if the valuation and other metrics stack up.

One more thing: We've identified 3 warning signs with Woowon Development (at least 2 which don't sit too well with us) , and understanding them would certainly be useful.

High returns are a key ingredient to strong performance, so check out our free list ofstocks earning high returns on equity with solid balance sheets.

If you decide to trade Woowon Development, use the lowest-cost* platform that is rated #1 Overall by Barron’s, Interactive Brokers. Trade stocks, options, futures, forex, bonds and funds on 135 markets, all from a single integrated account. Promoted

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.
^*Interactive Brokers Rated Lowest Cost Broker by StockBrokers.com Annual Online Review 2020

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com.