We Like These Underlying Return On Capital Trends At Oceanus Group (SGX:579)

If we want to find a stock that could multiply over the long term, what are the underlying trends we should look for? Typically, we'll want to notice a trend of growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and alongside that, an expanding base of capital employed. Ultimately, this demonstrates that it's a business that is reinvesting profits at increasing rates of return. So when we looked at Oceanus Group (SGX:579) and its trend of ROCE, we really liked what we saw.

Understanding Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)

If you haven't worked with ROCE before, it measures the 'return' (pre-tax profit) a company generates from capital employed in its business. Analysts use this formula to calculate it for Oceanus Group:

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

0.17 = S$7.3m ÷ (S$87m - S$45m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2021).

So, Oceanus Group has an ROCE of 17%. In absolute terms, that's a satisfactory return, but compared to the Food industry average of 12% it's much better.

Check out our latest analysis for Oceanus Group

Historical performance is a great place to start when researching a stock so above you can see the gauge for Oceanus Group's ROCE against it's prior returns. If you want to delve into the historical earnings, revenue and cash flow of Oceanus Group, check out these free graphs here.

What Can We Tell From Oceanus Group's ROCE Trend?

We're delighted to see that Oceanus Group is reaping rewards from its investments and is now generating some pre-tax profits. Shareholders would no doubt be pleased with this because the business was loss-making three years ago but is is now generating 17% on its capital. In addition to that, Oceanus Group is employing 83% more capital than previously which is expected of a company that's trying to break into profitability. This can indicate that there's plenty of opportunities to invest capital internally and at ever higher rates, both common traits of a multi-bagger.

On a separate but related note, it's important to know that Oceanus Group has a current liabilities to total assets ratio of 51%, which we'd consider pretty high. This can bring about some risks because the company is basically operating with a rather large reliance on its suppliers or other sorts of short-term creditors. Ideally we'd like to see this reduce as that would mean fewer obligations bearing risks.

The Bottom Line On Oceanus Group's ROCE

In summary, it's great to see that Oceanus Group has managed to break into profitability and is continuing to reinvest in its business. And a remarkable 1,233% total return over the last five years tells us that investors are expecting more good things to come in the future. Therefore, we think it would be worth your time to check if these trends are going to continue.

One more thing, we've spotted 2 warning signs facing Oceanus Group that you might find interesting.

While Oceanus 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.

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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