Savola Group (TADAWUL:2050) Hasn't Managed To Accelerate Its Returns

If you're looking for a multi-bagger, there's a few things to keep an eye out for. 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. This shows us that it's a compounding machine, able to continually reinvest its earnings back into the business and generate higher returns. However, after briefly looking over the numbers, we don't think Savola Group (TADAWUL:2050) has the makings of a multi-bagger going forward, but let's have a look at why that may be.

Understanding Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)

For those who don't know, ROCE is a measure of a company's yearly pre-tax profit (its return), relative to the capital employed in the business. Analysts use this formula to calculate it for Savola Group:

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

0.042 = ر.س794m ÷ (ر.س28b - ر.س8.9b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2021).

So, Savola Group has an ROCE of 4.2%. Ultimately, that's a low return and it under-performs the Food industry average of 8.7%.

View our latest analysis for Savola Group

Above you can see how the current ROCE for Savola Group 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 Savola Group here for free.

What The Trend Of ROCE Can Tell Us

In terms of Savola Group's historical ROCE trend, it doesn't exactly demand attention. The company has consistently earned 4.2% for the last five years, and the capital employed within the business has risen 25% in that time. Given the company has increased the amount of capital employed, it appears the investments that have been made simply don't provide a high return on capital.

On a side note, Savola Group has done well to reduce current liabilities to 32% of total assets over the last five years. This can eliminate some of the risks inherent in the operations because the business has less outstanding obligations to their suppliers and or short-term creditors than they did previously.

The Bottom Line On Savola Group's ROCE

In summary, Savola Group has simply been reinvesting capital and generating the same low rate of return as before. Since the stock has declined 12% over the last five years, investors may not be too optimistic on this trend improving either. All in all, the inherent trends aren't typical of multi-baggers, so if that's what you're after, we think you might have more luck elsewhere.

Savola Group does have some risks, we noticed 4 warning signs (and 1 which is potentially serious) we think you should know about.

While Savola Group isn't earning the highest return, check out this free list of companies that are earning high returns on equity with solid balance sheets.

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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.