How Has SBS Contents Hub (KOSDAQ:046140) Allocated Its Capital?

When researching a stock for investment, what can tell us that the company is in decline? When we see a declining return on capital employed (ROCE) in conjunction with a declining base of capital employed, that's often how a mature business shows signs of aging. Basically the company is earning less on its investments and it is also reducing its total assets. So after we looked into SBS Contents Hub (KOSDAQ:046140), the trends above didn't look too great.

Understanding Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)

Just to clarify if you're unsure, ROCE is a metric for evaluating how much pre-tax income (in percentage terms) a company earns on the capital invested in its business. Analysts use this formula to calculate it for SBS Contents Hub:

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

0.016 = ₩2.5b ÷ (₩188b - ₩34b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2020).

Thus, SBS Contents Hub has an ROCE of 1.6%. In absolute terms, that's a low return and it also under-performs the Interactive Media and Services industry average of 12%.

Check out our latest analysis for SBS Contents Hub

Historical performance is a great place to start when researching a stock so above you can see the gauge for SBS Contents Hub's ROCE against it's prior returns. If you'd like to look at how SBS Contents Hub has performed in the past in other metrics, you can view this free graph of past earnings, revenue and cash flow.

So How Is SBS Contents Hub's ROCE Trending?

There is reason to be cautious about SBS Contents Hub, given the returns are trending downwards. Unfortunately the returns on capital have diminished from the 6.8% that they were earning five years ago. On top of that, it's worth noting that the amount of capital employed within the business has remained relatively steady. Companies that exhibit these attributes tend to not be shrinking, but they can be mature and facing pressure on their margins from competition. So because these trends aren't typically conducive to creating a multi-bagger, we wouldn't hold our breath on SBS Contents Hub becoming one if things continue as they have.

What We Can Learn From SBS Contents Hub's ROCE

All in all, the lower returns from the same amount of capital employed aren't exactly signs of a compounding machine. Investors haven't taken kindly to these developments, since the stock has declined 54% from where it was five years ago. With underlying trends that aren't great in these areas, we'd consider looking elsewhere.

One more thing: We've identified 3 warning signs with SBS Contents Hub (at least 1 which is concerning) , and understanding them would certainly be useful.

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.

If you decide to trade SBS Contents Hub, 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 (at) simplywallst.com.