What trends should we look for it we want to identify stocks that can multiply in value over the long term? Firstly, we'll want to see a proven return on capital employed (ROCE) that is increasing, and secondly, an expanding base of capital employed. Ultimately, this demonstrates that it's a business that is reinvesting profits at increasing rates of return. Speaking of which, we noticed some great changes in Halwani Bros' (TADAWUL:6001) returns on capital, so let's have a look.
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. The formula for this calculation on Halwani Bros is:
Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)
0.23 = ر.س143m ÷ (ر.س1.0b - ر.س390m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2021).
So, Halwani Bros has an ROCE of 23%. That's a fantastic return and not only that, it outpaces the average of 8.8% earned by companies in a similar industry.
View our latest analysis for Halwani Bros
In the above chart we have measured Halwani Bros' prior ROCE against its prior performance, but the future is arguably more important. If you're interested, you can view the analysts predictions in our free report on analyst forecasts for the company.
What The Trend Of ROCE Can Tell Us
We're pretty happy with how the ROCE has been trending at Halwani Bros. The data shows that returns on capital have increased by 23% over the trailing five years. The company is now earning ر.س0.2 per dollar of capital employed. In regards to capital employed, Halwani Bros appears to been achieving more with less, since the business is using 24% less capital to run its operation. Halwani Bros may be selling some assets so it's worth investigating if the business has plans for future investments to increase returns further still.
For the record though, there was a noticeable increase in the company's current liabilities over the period, so we would attribute some of the ROCE growth to that. Effectively this means that suppliers or short-term creditors are now funding 39% of the business, which is more than it was five years ago. Keep an eye out for future increases because when the ratio of current liabilities to total assets gets particularly high, this can introduce some new risks for the business.
The Key Takeaway
From what we've seen above, Halwani Bros has managed to increase it's returns on capital all the while reducing it's capital base. And with the stock having performed exceptionally well over the last five years, these patterns are being accounted for by investors. With that being said, we still think the promising fundamentals mean the company deserves some further due diligence.
On a separate note, we've found 2 warning signs for Halwani Bros you'll probably want to know about.
If you'd like to see other companies earning high returns, check out our free list of companies earning high returns with solid balance sheets here.
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About SASE:6001
Halwani Bros
Manufactures, packages, wholesales, and retails food products in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Arab Republic of Egypt, and internationally.
High growth potential and fair value.