What trends should we look for it we want to identify stocks that can 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. This shows us that it's a compounding machine, able to continually reinvest its earnings back into the business and generate higher returns. Speaking of which, we noticed some great changes in Balticon's (WSE:BLT) returns on capital, so let's have a look.
Understanding Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)
If you haven't worked with ROCE before, it measures the 'return' (pre-tax profit) a company generates from capital employed in its business. The formula for this calculation on Balticon is:
Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)
0.078 = zł6.3m ÷ (zł125m - zł45m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2023).
Therefore, Balticon has an ROCE of 7.8%. Ultimately, that's a low return and it under-performs the Commercial Services industry average of 14%.
See our latest analysis for Balticon
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'd like to look at how Balticon has performed in the past in other metrics, you can view this free graph of past earnings, revenue and cash flow.
The Trend Of ROCE
Even though ROCE is still low in absolute terms, it's good to see it's heading in the right direction. The data shows that returns on capital have increased substantially over the last five years to 7.8%. 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 48%. So we're very much inspired by what we're seeing at Balticon thanks to its ability to profitably reinvest capital.
In Conclusion...
To sum it up, Balticon has proven it can reinvest in the business and generate higher returns on that capital employed, which is terrific. And with a respectable 50% 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. In light of that, we think it's worth looking further into this stock because if Balticon can keep these trends up, it could have a bright future ahead.
If you want to know some of the risks facing Balticon we've found 3 warning signs (1 is potentially serious!) that you should be aware of before investing here.
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.
About WSE:BLT
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