Returns On Capital Signal Tricky Times Ahead For Solarvest Holdings Berhad (KLSE:SLVEST)

To find a multi-bagger stock, what are the underlying trends we should look for in a business? Typically, we'll want to notice a trend of growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and alongside that, an expanding base of capital employed. If you see this, it typically means it's a company with a great business model and plenty of profitable reinvestment opportunities. Having said that, from a first glance at Solarvest Holdings Berhad (KLSE:SLVEST) we aren't jumping out of our chairs at how returns are trending, but let's have a deeper look.

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

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 Solarvest Holdings Berhad:

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

0.17 = RM25m ÷ (RM226m - RM78m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to March 2021).

Therefore, Solarvest Holdings Berhad has an ROCE of 17%. On its own, that's a standard return, however it's much better than the 10.0% generated by the Electrical industry.

View our latest analysis for Solarvest Holdings Berhad

Above you can see how the current ROCE for Solarvest Holdings Berhad compares to its prior returns on capital, but there's only so much you can tell from the past. If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free report for Solarvest Holdings Berhad.

How Are Returns Trending?

When we looked at the ROCE trend at Solarvest Holdings Berhad, we didn't gain much confidence. To be more specific, ROCE has fallen from 36% over the last five years. And considering revenue has dropped while employing more capital, we'd be cautious. This could mean that the business is losing its competitive advantage or market share, because while more money is being put into ventures, it's actually producing a lower return - "less bang for their buck" per se.

The Bottom Line

From the above analysis, we find it rather worrisome that returns on capital and sales for Solarvest Holdings Berhad have fallen, meanwhile the business is employing more capital than it was five years ago. Yet despite these concerning fundamentals, the stock has performed strongly with a 17% return over the last year, so investors appear very optimistic. In any case, the current underlying trends don't bode well for long term performance so unless they reverse, we'd start looking elsewhere.

Solarvest Holdings Berhad does come with some risks though, we found 3 warning signs in our investment analysis, and 1 of those is potentially serious...

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. 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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