Investors Will Want Koninklijke Ahold Delhaize's (AMS:AD) Growth In ROCE To Persist

Did you know there are some financial metrics that can provide clues of a potential multi-bagger? Firstly, we'll want to see a proven return on capital employed (ROCE) that is increasing, and secondly, an expanding base of capital employed. Ultimately, this demonstrates that it's a business that is reinvesting profits at increasing rates of return. Speaking of which, we noticed some great changes in Koninklijke Ahold Delhaize's (AMS:AD) returns on capital, so let's have a look.

Understanding 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. The formula for this calculation on Koninklijke Ahold Delhaize is:

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

0.13 = €3.9b ÷ (€46b - €16b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to October 2021).

Thus, Koninklijke Ahold Delhaize has an ROCE of 13%. In absolute terms, that's a pretty normal return, and it's somewhat close to the Consumer Retailing industry average of 12%.

See our latest analysis for Koninklijke Ahold Delhaize

In the above chart we have measured Koninklijke Ahold Delhaize's prior ROCE against its prior performance, but the future is arguably more important. If you're interested, you can view the analysts predictions in our free report on analyst forecasts for the company.

What Can We Tell From Koninklijke Ahold Delhaize's ROCE Trend?

We like the trends that we're seeing from Koninklijke Ahold Delhaize. Over the last five years, returns on capital employed have risen substantially to 13%. Basically the business is earning more per dollar of capital invested and in addition to that, 23% more capital is being employed now too. So we're very much inspired by what we're seeing at Koninklijke Ahold Delhaize thanks to its ability to profitably reinvest capital.

The Bottom Line On Koninklijke Ahold Delhaize's ROCE

In summary, it's great to see that Koninklijke Ahold Delhaize can compound returns by consistently reinvesting capital at increasing rates of return, because these are some of the key ingredients of those highly sought after multi-baggers. And investors seem to expect more of this going forward, since the stock has rewarded shareholders with a 95% return over the last five years. With that being said, we still think the promising fundamentals mean the company deserves some further due diligence.

On a final note, we've found 2 warning signs for Koninklijke Ahold Delhaize 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.

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.

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