Some Investors May Be Worried About Sofiva GenomicsLtd's (GTSM:6615) Returns On Capital

What trends should we look for it we want to identify stocks that can multiply in value over the long term? Ideally, a business will show two trends; firstly a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and secondly, an increasing amount of capital employed. Ultimately, this demonstrates that it's a business that is reinvesting profits at increasing rates of return. However, after investigating Sofiva GenomicsLtd (GTSM:6615), we don't think it's current trends fit the mold of a multi-bagger.

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. The formula for this calculation on Sofiva GenomicsLtd is:

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

0.033 = NT$21m ÷ (NT$752m - NT$110m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2020).

Thus, Sofiva GenomicsLtd has an ROCE of 3.3%. In absolute terms, that's a low return and it also under-performs the Healthcare industry average of 8.0%.

Check out our latest analysis for Sofiva GenomicsLtd

While the past is not representative of the future, it can be helpful to know how a company has performed historically, which is why we have this chart above. If you want to delve into the historical earnings, revenue and cash flow of Sofiva GenomicsLtd, check out these free graphs here.

What Can We Tell From Sofiva GenomicsLtd's ROCE Trend?

On the surface, the trend of ROCE at Sofiva GenomicsLtd doesn't inspire confidence. Around five years ago the returns on capital were 13%, but since then they've fallen to 3.3%. However it looks like Sofiva GenomicsLtd might be reinvesting for long term growth because while capital employed has increased, the company's sales haven't changed much in the last 12 months. It's worth keeping an eye on the company's earnings from here on to see if these investments do end up contributing to the bottom line.

On a side note, Sofiva GenomicsLtd has done well to pay down its current liabilities to 15% of total assets. That could partly explain why the ROCE has dropped. Effectively this means their suppliers or short-term creditors are funding less of the business, which reduces some elements of risk. Some would claim this reduces the business' efficiency at generating ROCE since it is now funding more of the operations with its own money.

The Bottom Line

Bringing it all together, while we're somewhat encouraged by Sofiva GenomicsLtd's reinvestment in its own business, we're aware that returns are shrinking. And in the last three years, the stock has given away 44% so the market doesn't look too hopeful on these trends strengthening any time soon. On the whole, we aren't too inspired by the underlying trends and we think there may be better chances of finding a multi-bagger elsewhere.

One more thing to note, we've identified 3 warning signs with Sofiva GenomicsLtd and understanding them should be part of your investment process.

For those who like to invest in solid companies, check out this free list of companies with solid balance sheets and high returns on equity.

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