KGHM Polska Miedz (WSE:KGH) Is Looking To Continue Growing Its Returns On Capital

If we want to find a stock that could multiply over the long term, what are the underlying trends we should look for? Typically, we'll want to notice a trend of growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and alongside that, 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 on that note, KGHM Polska Miedz (WSE:KGH) looks quite promising in regards to its trends of return on capital.

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. To calculate this metric for KGHM Polska Miedz, this is the formula:

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

0.12 = zł4.1b ÷ (zł44b - zł9.1b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to March 2021).

Therefore, KGHM Polska Miedz has an ROCE of 12%. In isolation, that's a pretty standard return but against the Metals and Mining industry average of 16%, it's not as good.

See our latest analysis for KGHM Polska Miedz

Above you can see how the current ROCE for KGHM Polska Miedz compares to its prior returns on capital, but there's only so much you can tell from the past. If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free report for KGHM Polska Miedz.

What The Trend Of ROCE Can Tell Us

KGHM Polska Miedz has not disappointed with their ROCE growth. More specifically, while the company has kept capital employed relatively flat over the last five years, the ROCE has climbed 44% in that same time. So our take on this is that the business has increased efficiencies to generate these higher returns, all the while not needing to make any additional investments. The company is doing well in that sense, and it's worth investigating what the management team has planned for long term growth prospects.

The Bottom Line On KGHM Polska Miedz's ROCE

In summary, we're delighted to see that KGHM Polska Miedz has been able to increase efficiencies and earn higher rates of return on the same amount of capital. And with the stock having performed exceptionally well over the last five years, these patterns are being accounted for by investors. 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.

On a final note, we've found 1 warning sign for KGHM Polska Miedz that we think you should be aware of.

While KGHM Polska Miedz 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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