Here's What To Make Of El Puerto de Liverpool. de's (BMV:LIVEPOLC-1) Decelerating Rates Of Return

Finding a business that has the potential to grow substantially is not easy, but it is possible if we look at a few key financial metrics. Firstly, we'll want to see a proven return on capital employed (ROCE) that is increasing, and secondly, an expanding base of capital employed. Ultimately, this demonstrates that it's a business that is reinvesting profits at increasing rates of return. So, when we ran our eye over El Puerto de Liverpool. de's (BMV:LIVEPOLC-1) trend of ROCE, we liked what we saw.

What is 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. The formula for this calculation on El Puerto de Liverpool. de is:

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

0.11 = Mex$19b ÷ (Mex$222b - Mex$56b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2021).

Therefore, El Puerto de Liverpool. de has an ROCE of 11%. On its own, that's a standard return, however it's much better than the 6.7% generated by the Multiline Retail industry.

View our latest analysis for El Puerto de Liverpool. de

Above you can see how the current ROCE for El Puerto de Liverpool. de compares to its prior returns on capital, but there's only so much you can tell from the past. If you'd like, you can check out the forecasts from the analysts covering El Puerto de Liverpool. de here for free.

What Can We Tell From El Puerto de Liverpool. de's ROCE Trend?

While the returns on capital are good, they haven't moved much. The company has employed 46% more capital in the last five years, and the returns on that capital have remained stable at 11%. Since 11% is a moderate ROCE though, it's good to see a business can continue to reinvest at these decent rates of return. Stable returns in this ballpark can be unexciting, but if they can be maintained over the long run, they often provide nice rewards to shareholders.

The Bottom Line

To sum it up, El Puerto de Liverpool. de has simply been reinvesting capital steadily, at those decent rates of return. Yet over the last five years the stock has declined 31%, so the decline might provide an opening. For that reason, savvy investors might want to look further into this company in case it's a prime investment.

If you're still interested in El Puerto de Liverpool. de it's worth checking out our FREE intrinsic value approximation to see if it's trading at an attractive price in other respects.

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. 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.