ARC Document Solutions (NYSE:ARC) Has Some Difficulty Using Its Capital Effectively

If you're looking at a mature business that's past the growth phase, what are some of the underlying trends that pop up? More often than not, we'll see a declining return on capital employed (ROCE) and a declining amount of capital employed. This indicates the company is producing less profit from its investments and its total assets are decreasing. In light of that, from a first glance at ARC Document Solutions (NYSE:ARC), we've spotted some signs that it could be struggling, so let's investigate.

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 ARC Document Solutions:

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

0.067 = US$16m ÷ (US$315m - US$71m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to March 2022).

Therefore, ARC Document Solutions has an ROCE of 6.7%. Ultimately, that's a low return and it under-performs the Commercial Services industry average of 8.5%.

Check out our latest analysis for ARC Document Solutions

Historical performance is a great place to start when researching a stock so above you can see the gauge for ARC Document Solutions' ROCE against it's prior returns. If you'd like to look at how ARC Document Solutions 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?

In terms of ARC Document Solutions' historical ROCE movements, the trend doesn't inspire confidence. Unfortunately the returns on capital have diminished from the 8.8% that they were earning five years ago. On top of that, it's worth noting that the amount of capital employed within the business has remained relatively steady. Companies that exhibit these attributes tend to not be shrinking, but they can be mature and facing pressure on their margins from competition. So because these trends aren't typically conducive to creating a multi-bagger, we wouldn't hold our breath on ARC Document Solutions becoming one if things continue as they have.

The Bottom Line

In summary, it's unfortunate that ARC Document Solutions is generating lower returns from the same amount of capital. It should come as no surprise then that the stock has fallen 31% over the last five years, so it looks like investors are recognizing these changes. That being the case, unless the underlying trends revert to a more positive trajectory, we'd consider looking elsewhere.

On a separate note, we've found 2 warning signs for ARC Document Solutions 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.

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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.