Returns At AB SKF (STO:SKF B) Appear To Be Weighed Down

If you're looking for a multi-bagger, there's a few things to keep an eye out for. Firstly, we'd want to identify a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and then alongside that, an ever-increasing base 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. That's why when we briefly looked at AB SKF's (STO:SKF B) ROCE trend, we were pretty happy with what we saw.

What Is 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. The formula for this calculation on AB SKF is:

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

0.13 = kr11b ÷ (kr118b - kr30b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2023).

Therefore, AB SKF has an ROCE of 13%. In absolute terms, that's a pretty normal return, and it's somewhat close to the Machinery industry average of 14%.

View our latest analysis for AB SKF

In the above chart we have measured AB SKF's prior ROCE against its prior performance, but the future is arguably more important. If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free report for AB SKF.

What Can We Tell From AB SKF's ROCE Trend?

The trend of ROCE doesn't stand out much, but returns on a whole are decent. The company has employed 35% more capital in the last five years, and the returns on that capital have remained stable at 13%. 13% is a pretty standard return, and it provides some comfort knowing that AB SKF has consistently earned this amount. Stable returns in this ballpark can be unexciting, but if they can be maintained over the long run, they often provide nice rewards to shareholders.

Our Take On AB SKF's ROCE

To sum it up, AB SKF has simply been reinvesting capital steadily, at those decent rates of return. However, over the last five years, the stock has only delivered a 26% return to shareholders who held over that period. That's why it could be worth your time looking into this stock further to discover if it has more traits of a multi-bagger.

If you want to continue researching AB SKF, you might be interested to know about the 1 warning sign that our analysis has discovered.

While AB SKF 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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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.