Will DMSLtd's (KOSDAQ:068790) Growth In ROCE Persist?

If you're not sure where to start when looking for the next multi-bagger, there are a few key trends you should keep an eye out 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. 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 DMSLtd's (KOSDAQ:068790) 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. Analysts use this formula to calculate it for DMSLtd:

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

0.16 = ₩30b ÷ (₩352b - ₩165b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2020).

Thus, DMSLtd has an ROCE of 16%. In absolute terms, that's a satisfactory return, but compared to the Semiconductor industry average of 9.8% it's much better.

View our latest analysis for DMSLtd

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

So How Is DMSLtd's ROCE Trending?

We're delighted to see that DMSLtd is reaping rewards from its investments and is now generating some pre-tax profits. Shareholders would no doubt be pleased with this because the business was loss-making five years ago but is is now generating 16% on its capital. In addition to that, DMSLtd is employing 113% more capital than previously which is expected of a company that's trying to break into profitability. 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.

In another part of our analysis, we noticed that the company's ratio of current liabilities to total assets decreased to 47%, which broadly means the business is relying less on its suppliers or short-term creditors to fund its operations. Therefore we can rest assured that the growth in ROCE is a result of the business' fundamental improvements, rather than a cooking class featuring this company's books. Nevertheless, there are some potential risks the company is bearing with current liabilities that high, so just keep that in mind.

Our Take On DMSLtd's ROCE

In summary, it's great to see that DMSLtd has managed to break into profitability and is continuing to reinvest in its business. And with a respectable 42% awarded to those who held the stock over the last five years, you could argue that these developments are starting to get the attention they deserve. Therefore, we think it would be worth your time to check if these trends are going to continue.

On a separate note, we've found 3 warning signs for DMSLtd you'll probably want to know about.

While DMSLtd 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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