Gazprom (MCX:GAZP) Is Reinvesting At Lower Rates Of Return

If we want to find a stock that could multiply over the long term, what are the underlying trends we should look for? Ideally, a business will show two trends; firstly a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and secondly, an increasing amount of capital employed. Ultimately, this demonstrates that it's a business that is reinvesting profits at increasing rates of return. However, after investigating Gazprom (MCX:GAZP), we don't think it's current trends fit the mold of a multi-bagger.

What is 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 Gazprom, this is the formula:

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

0.042 = ₽909b ÷ (₽24t - ₽2.5t) (Based on the trailing twelve months to March 2021).

So, Gazprom has an ROCE of 4.2%. Ultimately, that's a low return and it under-performs the Oil and Gas industry average of 6.2%.

Check out our latest analysis for Gazprom

Above you can see how the current ROCE for Gazprom compares to its prior returns on capital, but there's only so much you can tell from the past. If you'd like, you can check out the forecasts from the analysts covering Gazprom here for free.

What Can We Tell From Gazprom's ROCE Trend?

In terms of Gazprom's historical ROCE movements, the trend isn't fantastic. Around five years ago the returns on capital were 7.7%, but since then they've fallen to 4.2%. On the other hand, the company has been employing more capital without a corresponding improvement in sales in the last year, which could suggest these investments are longer term plays. It may take some time before the company starts to see any change in earnings from these investments.

The Key Takeaway

Bringing it all together, while we're somewhat encouraged by Gazprom's reinvestment in its own business, we're aware that returns are shrinking. Yet to long term shareholders the stock has gifted them an incredible 187% return in the last five years, so the market appears to be rosy about its future. But if the trajectory of these underlying trends continue, we think the likelihood of it being a multi-bagger from here isn't high.

Gazprom does have some risks though, and we've spotted 1 warning sign for Gazprom that you might be interested in.

While Gazprom 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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