Here's What's Concerning About Dana's (NYSE:DAN) Returns On Capital

If you're looking for a multi-bagger, there's a few things to keep an eye out for. One common approach is to try and find a company with returns on capital employed (ROCE) that are increasing, in conjunction with a growing amount of capital employed. If you see this, it typically means it's a company with a great business model and plenty of profitable reinvestment opportunities. However, after briefly looking over the numbers, we don't think Dana (NYSE:DAN) has the makings of a multi-bagger going forward, but let's have a look at why that may be.

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. To calculate this metric for Dana, this is the formula:

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

0.038 = US$208m ÷ (US$7.6b - US$2.2b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to March 2021).

So, Dana has an ROCE of 3.8%. In absolute terms, that's a low return and it also under-performs the Auto Components industry average of 11%.

Check out our latest analysis for Dana

In the above chart we have measured Dana's prior ROCE against its prior performance, but the future is arguably more important. If you'd like, you can check out the forecasts from the analysts covering Dana here for free.

The Trend Of ROCE

In terms of Dana's historical ROCE movements, the trend isn't fantastic. Over the last five years, returns on capital have decreased to 3.8% from 13% five years ago. Given the business is employing more capital while revenue has slipped, this is a bit concerning. If this were to continue, you might be looking at a company that is trying to reinvest for growth but is actually losing market share since sales haven't increased.

Our Take On Dana's ROCE

In summary, we're somewhat concerned by Dana's diminishing returns on increasing amounts of capital. Yet despite these poor fundamentals, the stock has gained a huge 119% over the last five years, so investors appear very optimistic. Regardless, we don't feel too comfortable with the fundamentals so we'd be steering clear of this stock for now.

One more thing: We've identified 3 warning signs with Dana (at least 1 which is a bit concerning) , and understanding them would certainly be useful.

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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