Yanbu Cement's (TADAWUL:3060) Returns On Capital Tell Us There Is Reason To Feel Uneasy

If we're looking to avoid a business that is in decline, what are the trends that can warn us ahead of time? Businesses in decline often have two underlying trends, firstly, a declining return on capital employed (ROCE) and a declining base of capital employed. Ultimately this means that the company is earning less per dollar invested and on top of that, it's shrinking its base of capital employed. Having said that, after a brief look, Yanbu Cement (TADAWUL:3060) we aren't filled with optimism, but let's investigate further.

Return On Capital Employed (ROCE): What is it?

For those that aren't sure what ROCE is, it measures the amount of pre-tax profits a company can generate from the capital employed in its business. Analysts use this formula to calculate it for Yanbu Cement:

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

0.084 = ر.س271m ÷ (ر.س3.5b - ر.س274m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2021).

So, Yanbu Cement has an ROCE of 8.4%. On its own, that's a low figure but it's around the 9.0% average generated by the Basic Materials industry.

View our latest analysis for Yanbu Cement

In the above chart we have measured Yanbu Cement's 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 Can We Tell From Yanbu Cement's ROCE Trend?

In terms of Yanbu Cement's historical ROCE movements, the trend doesn't inspire confidence. Unfortunately the returns on capital have diminished from the 20% that they were earning five years ago. Meanwhile, capital employed in the business has stayed roughly the flat over the period. This combination can be indicative of a mature business that still has areas to deploy capital, but the returns received aren't as high due potentially to new competition or smaller margins. If these trends continue, we wouldn't expect Yanbu Cement to turn into a multi-bagger.

Our Take On Yanbu Cement's ROCE

In summary, it's unfortunate that Yanbu Cement is generating lower returns from the same amount of capital. Yet despite these concerning fundamentals, the stock has performed strongly with a 87% return over the last five years, so investors appear very optimistic. In any case, the current underlying trends don't bode well for long term performance so unless they reverse, we'd start looking elsewhere.

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

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

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.

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