Returns On Capital Are Showing Encouraging Signs At SpartanNash (NASDAQ:SPTN)

If you're not sure where to start when looking for the next multi-bagger, there are a few key trends you should 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. So when we looked at SpartanNash (NASDAQ:SPTN) and its trend of ROCE, we really liked what we saw.

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Understanding Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)

If you haven't worked with ROCE before, it measures the 'return' (pre-tax profit) a company generates from capital employed in its business. The formula for this calculation on SpartanNash is:

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

0.069 = US$131m ÷ (US$2.6b - US$695m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2024).

Thus, SpartanNash has an ROCE of 6.9%. In absolute terms, that's a low return and it also under-performs the Consumer Retailing industry average of 11%.

View our latest analysis for SpartanNash

In the above chart we have measured SpartanNash'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 SpartanNash for free.

So How Is SpartanNash's ROCE Trending?

SpartanNash's ROCE growth is quite impressive. Looking at the data, we can see that even though capital employed in the business has remained relatively flat, the ROCE generated has risen by 128% over the last five years. So our take on this is that the business has increased efficiencies to generate these higher returns, all the while not needing to make any additional investments. On that front, things are looking good so it's worth exploring what management has said about growth plans going forward.

The Bottom Line

To bring it all together, SpartanNash has done well to increase the returns it's generating from its capital employed. And with a respectable 63% awarded to those who held the stock over the last five years, you could argue that these developments are starting to get the attention they deserve. In light of that, we think it's worth looking further into this stock because if SpartanNash can keep these trends up, it could have a bright future ahead.

One more thing: We've identified 4 warning signs with SpartanNash (at least 1 which is potentially serious) , and understanding these would certainly be useful.

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.