Public Packages Holdings Berhad (KLSE:PPHB) Shareholders Will Want The ROCE Trajectory To Continue

What are the early trends we should look for to identify a stock that could multiply in value over the long term? 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. So when we looked at Public Packages Holdings Berhad (KLSE:PPHB) and its trend of ROCE, we really liked what we saw.

Understanding Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)

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. To calculate this metric for Public Packages Holdings Berhad, this is the formula:

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

0.13 = RM47m ÷ (RM389m - RM31m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2022).

So, Public Packages Holdings Berhad has an ROCE of 13%. In absolute terms, that's a pretty normal return, and it's somewhat close to the Packaging industry average of 12%.

See our latest analysis for Public Packages Holdings Berhad

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

How Are Returns Trending?

Investors would be pleased with what's happening at Public Packages Holdings Berhad. The numbers show that in the last five years, the returns generated on capital employed have grown considerably to 13%. Basically the business is earning more per dollar of capital invested and in addition to that, 57% more capital is being employed now too. This can indicate that there's plenty of opportunities to invest capital internally and at ever higher rates, a combination that's common among multi-baggers.

In another part of our analysis, we noticed that the company's ratio of current liabilities to total assets decreased to 7.9%, 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.

In Conclusion...

All in all, it's terrific to see that Public Packages Holdings Berhad is reaping the rewards from prior investments and is growing its capital base. And with a respectable 58% 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. So given the stock has proven it has promising trends, it's worth researching the company further to see if these trends are likely to persist.

One more thing to note, we've identified 1 warning sign with Public Packages Holdings Berhad and understanding this should be part of your investment process.

For those who like to invest in solid companies, check out this free list of companies with solid balance sheets and high 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.