Ruby Tech (GTSM:8048) Could Be At Risk Of Shrinking As A Company

What underlying fundamental trends can indicate that a company might be in decline? A business that's potentially in decline often shows two trends, a return on capital employed (ROCE) that's declining, and a base of capital employed that's also declining. 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. And from a first read, things don't look too good at Ruby Tech (GTSM:8048), so let's see why.

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

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 Ruby Tech:

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

0.13 = NT$114m ÷ (NT$1.1b - NT$213m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2020).

Thus, Ruby Tech has an ROCE of 13%. In absolute terms, that's a satisfactory return, but compared to the Communications industry average of 9.8% it's much better.

See our latest analysis for Ruby Tech

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'd like to look at how Ruby Tech has performed in the past in other metrics, you can view this free graph of past earnings, revenue and cash flow.

How Are Returns Trending?

We are a bit worried about the trend of returns on capital at Ruby Tech. To be more specific, the ROCE was 24% five years ago, but since then it has dropped noticeably. Meanwhile, capital employed in the business has stayed roughly the flat over the period. Since returns are falling and the business has the same amount of assets employed, this can suggest it's a mature business that hasn't had much growth in the last five years. So because these trends aren't typically conducive to creating a multi-bagger, we wouldn't hold our breath on Ruby Tech becoming one if things continue as they have.

What We Can Learn From Ruby Tech's ROCE

In summary, it's unfortunate that Ruby Tech is generating lower returns from the same amount of capital. Investors must expect better things on the horizon though because the stock has risen 6.9% in the last five years. Regardless, we don't like the trends as they are and if they persist, we think you might find better investments elsewhere.

If you'd like to know more about Ruby Tech, we've spotted 4 warning signs, and 1 of them is a bit unpleasant.

If you want to search for solid companies with great earnings, check out this free list of companies with good balance sheets and impressive returns on equity.

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. 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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