TIME dotCom Berhad (KLSE:TIMECOM) 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? Ideally, a business will show two trends; firstly a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and secondly, an increasing amount of capital employed. Basically this means that a company has profitable initiatives that it can continue to reinvest in, which is a trait of a compounding machine. Speaking of which, we noticed some great changes in TIME dotCom Berhad's (KLSE:TIMECOM) returns on capital, so let's have a look.

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 TIME dotCom Berhad, this is the formula:

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

0.13 = RM502m ÷ (RM4.1b - RM406m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2021).

Thus, TIME dotCom Berhad has an ROCE of 13%. In absolute terms, that's a satisfactory return, but compared to the Telecom industry average of 11% it's much better.

Check out our latest analysis for TIME dotCom Berhad

In the above chart we have measured TIME dotCom Berhad's prior ROCE against its prior performance, but the future is arguably more important. If you'd like, you can check out the forecasts from the analysts covering TIME dotCom Berhad here for free.

What Can We Tell From TIME dotCom Berhad's ROCE Trend?

TIME dotCom Berhad is displaying some positive trends. The numbers show that in the last five years, the returns generated on capital employed have grown considerably to 13%. The company is effectively making more money per dollar of capital used, and it's worth noting that the amount of capital has increased too, by 69%. The increasing returns on a growing amount of capital is common amongst multi-baggers and that's why we're impressed.

Our Take On TIME dotCom Berhad's ROCE

To sum it up, TIME dotCom Berhad has proven it can reinvest in the business and generate higher returns on that capital employed, which is terrific. Since the stock has returned a solid 89% to shareholders over the last five years, it's fair to say investors are beginning to recognize these changes. With that being said, we still think the promising fundamentals mean the company deserves some further due diligence.

One more thing, we've spotted 1 warning sign facing TIME dotCom Berhad that you might find interesting.

While TIME dotCom Berhad may not currently earn the highest returns, we've compiled a list of companies that currently earn more than 25% return on equity. Check out this free list here.

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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.