Returns At Weis Markets (NYSE:WMK) Appear To Be Weighed Down

What trends should we look for it we want to identify stocks that can multiply in value over the long term? Firstly, we'll want to see a proven return on capital employed (ROCE) that is increasing, and secondly, an expanding base 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 ran our eye over Weis Markets' (NYSE:WMK) trend of ROCE, we liked what we saw.

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. To calculate this metric for Weis Markets, this is the formula:

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

0.11 = US$158m ÷ (US$1.8b - US$298m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to March 2021).

Therefore, Weis Markets has an ROCE of 11%. In absolute terms, that's a satisfactory return, but compared to the Consumer Retailing industry average of 8.8% it's much better.

Check out our latest analysis for Weis Markets

Historical performance is a great place to start when researching a stock so above you can see the gauge for Weis Markets' ROCE against it's prior returns. If you're interested in investigating Weis Markets' past further, check out this free graph of past earnings, revenue and cash flow.

The Trend Of ROCE

While the current returns on capital are decent, they haven't changed much. Over the past five years, ROCE has remained relatively flat at around 11% and the business has deployed 46% more capital into its operations. Since 11% is a moderate ROCE though, it's good to see a business can continue to reinvest at these decent rates of return. Over long periods of time, returns like these might not be too exciting, but with consistency they can pay off in terms of share price returns.

What We Can Learn From Weis Markets' ROCE

In the end, Weis Markets has proven its ability to adequately reinvest capital at good rates of return. In light of this, the stock has only gained 21% over the last five years for shareholders who have owned the stock in this period. So because of the trends we're seeing, we'd recommend looking further into this stock to see if it has the makings of a multi-bagger.

While Weis Markets doesn't shine too bright in this respect, it's still worth seeing if the company is trading at attractive prices. You can find that out with our FREE intrinsic value estimation on our platform.

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. 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.
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