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. Amongst other things, we'll want to see two things; firstly, a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and secondly, an expansion in the company's amount 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 Batu Kawan Berhad (KLSE:BKAWAN) we aren't jumping out of our chairs at how returns are trending, but let's have a deeper look.
What is Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)?
For those that aren't sure what ROCE is, it measures the amount of pre-tax profits a company can generate from the capital employed in its business. To calculate this metric for Batu Kawan Berhad, this is the formula:
Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)
0.078 = RM1.5b ÷ (RM22b - RM3.0b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2020).
Therefore, Batu Kawan Berhad has an ROCE of 7.8%. On its own, that's a low figure but it's around the 6.6% average generated by the Chemicals industry.
Check out our latest analysis for Batu Kawan Berhad
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 Batu Kawan Berhad's past further, check out this free graph of past earnings, revenue and cash flow.
What Can We Tell From Batu Kawan Berhad's ROCE Trend?
On the surface, the trend of ROCE at Batu Kawan Berhad doesn't inspire confidence. To be more specific, ROCE has fallen from 10% over the last five years. However it looks like Batu Kawan Berhad might be reinvesting for long term growth because while capital employed has increased, the company's sales haven't changed much in the last 12 months. It's worth keeping an eye on the company's earnings from here on to see if these investments do end up contributing to the bottom line.
In Conclusion...
In summary, Batu Kawan Berhad is reinvesting funds back into the business for growth but unfortunately it looks like sales haven't increased much just yet. And investors may be recognizing these trends since the stock has only returned a total of 1.9% to shareholders over the last five years. As a result, if you're hunting for a multi-bagger, we think you'd have more luck elsewhere.
Batu Kawan Berhad does have some risks, we noticed 3 warning signs (and 2 which make us uncomfortable) we think you should know about.
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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