Enerpac Tool Group (NYSE:EPAC) Is Doing The Right Things To Multiply Its Share Price

If we want to find a stock that could multiply over the long term, what are the underlying trends we should look for? Ideally, a business will show two trends; firstly a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and secondly, an increasing amount of capital employed. Basically this means that a company has profitable initiatives that it can continue to reinvest in, which is a trait of a compounding machine. Speaking of which, we noticed some great changes in Enerpac Tool Group's (NYSE:EPAC) returns on capital, so let's have a look.

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

Just to clarify if you're unsure, ROCE is a metric for evaluating how much pre-tax income (in percentage terms) a company earns on the capital invested in its business. To calculate this metric for Enerpac Tool Group, this is the formula:

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

0.086 = US$58m ÷ (US$812m - US$132m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to November 2021).

Thus, Enerpac Tool Group has an ROCE of 8.6%. On its own, that's a low figure but it's around the 10% average generated by the Machinery industry.

View our latest analysis for Enerpac Tool Group

In the above chart we have measured Enerpac Tool 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 report for Enerpac Tool Group.

So How Is Enerpac Tool Group's ROCE Trending?

Enerpac Tool Group has not disappointed in regards to ROCE growth. We found that the returns on capital employed over the last five years have risen by 44%. That's not bad because this tells for every dollar invested (capital employed), the company is increasing the amount earned from that dollar. Speaking of capital employed, the company is actually utilizing 42% less than it was five years ago, which can be indicative of a business that's improving its efficiency. If this trend continues, the business might be getting more efficient but it's shrinking in terms of total assets.

The Bottom Line

In summary, it's great to see that Enerpac Tool Group has been able to turn things around and earn higher returns on lower amounts of capital. Given the stock has declined 29% in the last five years, this could be a good investment if the valuation and other metrics are also appealing. So researching this company further and determining whether or not these trends will continue seems justified.

On a separate note, we've found 1 warning sign for Enerpac Tool Group you'll probably want to know about.

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.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.

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.