Privasia Technology Berhad's (KLSE:PRIVA) Returns On Capital Are Heading Higher

What are the early trends we should look for to identify a stock that could multiply in value over the long term? Firstly, we'll want to see a proven return on capital employed (ROCE) that is increasing, and secondly, 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. So when we looked at Privasia Technology Berhad (KLSE:PRIVA) and its trend of ROCE, we really 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. Analysts use this formula to calculate it for Privasia Technology Berhad:

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

0.022 = RM1.4m ÷ (RM89m - RM23m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to March 2023).

Therefore, Privasia Technology Berhad has an ROCE of 2.2%. Ultimately, that's a low return and it under-performs the IT industry average of 19%.

Check out our latest analysis for Privasia Technology Berhad

Historical performance is a great place to start when researching a stock so above you can see the gauge for Privasia Technology Berhad's ROCE against it's prior returns. If you're interested in investigating Privasia Technology Berhad's past further, check out this free graph of past earnings, revenue and cash flow.

What The Trend Of ROCE Can Tell Us

Like most people, we're pleased that Privasia Technology Berhad is now generating some pretax earnings. While the business is profitable now, it used to be incurring losses on invested capital five years ago. At first glance, it seems the business is getting more proficient at generating returns, because over the same period, the amount of capital employed has reduced by 29%. The reduction could indicate that the company is selling some assets, and considering returns are up, they appear to be selling the right ones.

What We Can Learn From Privasia Technology Berhad's ROCE

In summary, it's great to see that Privasia Technology Berhad has been able to turn things around and earn higher returns on lower amounts of capital. Astute investors may have an opportunity here because the stock has declined 22% in the last five years. With that in mind, we believe the promising trends warrant this stock for further investigation.

On a final note, we've found 2 warning signs for Privasia Technology Berhad that we think you should be aware of.

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.