What are the early trends we should look for to identify a stock that could multiply in value over the long term? In a perfect world, we'd like to see a company investing more capital into its business and ideally the returns earned from that capital are also increasing. If you see this, it typically means it's a company with a great business model and plenty of profitable reinvestment opportunities. With that in mind, we've noticed some promising trends at VBG Group (STO:VBG B) so let's look a bit deeper.
Return On Capital Employed (ROCE): What Is It?
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 VBG Group:
Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)
0.16 = kr879m ÷ (kr6.3b - kr889m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2024).
Therefore, VBG Group has an ROCE of 16%. In absolute terms, that's a pretty normal return, and it's somewhat close to the Machinery industry average of 14%.
Check out our latest analysis for VBG Group
In the above chart we have measured VBG Group'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 analyst report for VBG Group .
What The Trend Of ROCE Can Tell Us
VBG Group is displaying some positive trends. The data shows that returns on capital have increased substantially over the last five years to 16%. The company is effectively making more money per dollar of capital used, and it's worth noting that the amount of capital has increased too, by 44%. So we're very much inspired by what we're seeing at VBG Group thanks to its ability to profitably reinvest capital.
What We Can Learn From VBG Group's ROCE
All in all, it's terrific to see that VBG Group is reaping the rewards from prior investments and is growing its capital base. Since the stock has returned a staggering 198% to shareholders over the last five years, it looks like investors are recognizing these changes. So given the stock has proven it has promising trends, it's worth researching the company further to see if these trends are likely to persist.
On a separate note, we've found 1 warning sign for VBG Group you'll probably want to know about.
While VBG Group 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.
About OM:VBG B
VBG Group
Develops, manufactures, markets, and sells various industrial products in Sweden, Germany, rest of the Nordic countries and Europe, North America, Brazil, Australia/New Zealand, China, and internationally.
Flawless balance sheet with solid track record and pays a dividend.