The Returns On Capital At Copart (NASDAQ:CPRT) Don't Inspire Confidence

To find a multi-bagger stock, what are the underlying trends we should look for in a business? 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. In light of that, when we looked at Copart (NASDAQ:CPRT) and its ROCE trend, we weren't exactly thrilled.

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What Is Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)?

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. Analysts use this formula to calculate it for Copart:

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

0.19 = US$1.6b ÷ (US$9.2b - US$630m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to January 2025).

Thus, Copart has an ROCE of 19%. On its own, that's a standard return, however it's much better than the 11% generated by the Commercial Services industry.

See our latest analysis for Copart

Above you can see how the current ROCE for Copart compares to its prior returns on capital, but there's only so much you can tell from the past. If you'd like, you can check out the forecasts from the analysts covering Copart for free.

What Can We Tell From Copart's ROCE Trend?

On the surface, the trend of ROCE at Copart doesn't inspire confidence. Over the last five years, returns on capital have decreased to 19% from 30% five years ago. Although, given both revenue and the amount of assets employed in the business have increased, it could suggest the company is investing in growth, and the extra capital has led to a short-term reduction in ROCE. If these investments prove successful, this can bode very well for long term stock performance.

The Bottom Line

While returns have fallen for Copart in recent times, we're encouraged to see that sales are growing and that the business is reinvesting in its operations. And the stock has done incredibly well with a 191% return over the last five years, so long term investors are no doubt ecstatic with that result. So while investors seem to be recognizing these promising trends, we would look further into this stock to make sure the other metrics justify the positive view.

Copart could be trading at an attractive price in other respects, so you might find our free intrinsic value estimation for CPRT on our platform quite valuable.

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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.