If we want to find a potential multi-bagger, often there are underlying trends that can provide clues. One common approach is to try and find a company with returns on capital employed (ROCE) that are increasing, in conjunction with a growing amount of capital employed. Ultimately, this demonstrates that it's a business that is reinvesting profits at increasing rates of return. And in light of that, the trends we're seeing at OT Logistics' (WSE:OTS) look very promising so lets take 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 OT Logistics is:
Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)
0.24 = zł151m ÷ (zł747m - zł127m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to March 2023).
So, OT Logistics has an ROCE of 24%. That's a fantastic return and not only that, it outpaces the average of 16% earned by companies in a similar industry.
Check out our latest analysis for OT Logistics
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 want to delve into the historical earnings, revenue and cash flow of OT Logistics, check out these free graphs here.
How Are Returns Trending?
Like most people, we're pleased that OT Logistics 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 22%. This could potentially mean that the company is selling some of its assets.
In another part of our analysis, we noticed that the company's ratio of current liabilities to total assets decreased to 17%, which broadly means the business is relying less on its suppliers or short-term creditors to fund its operations. So shareholders would be pleased that the growth in returns has mostly come from underlying business performance.
The Bottom Line On OT Logistics' ROCE
In a nutshell, we're pleased to see that OT Logistics has been able to generate higher returns from less capital. Since the stock has returned a staggering 253% to shareholders over the last five years, it looks like investors are recognizing these changes. 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.
Since virtually every company faces some risks, it's worth knowing what they are, and we've spotted 3 warning signs for OT Logistics (of which 1 is a bit concerning!) that you should know about.
If you want to search for more stocks that have been earning high returns, check out this free list of stocks with solid balance sheets that are also earning high returns on equity.
New: AI Stock Screener & Alerts
Our new AI Stock Screener scans the market every day to uncover opportunities.
• Dividend Powerhouses (3%+ Yield)
• Undervalued Small Caps with Insider Buying
• High growth Tech and AI Companies
Or build your own from over 50 metrics.
Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.
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:OTS
OT Logistics
Provides a range of transport, freight forwarding, and logistics services in Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary.
Slight with mediocre balance sheet.