Fresh Del Monte Produce (NYSE:FDP) Will Be Hoping To Turn Its Returns On Capital Around

If we want to find a potential multi-bagger, often there are underlying trends that can provide clues. Amongst other things, we'll want to see two things; firstly, a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and secondly, an expansion in the company's 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 Fresh Del Monte Produce (NYSE:FDP) and its ROCE trend, we weren't exactly thrilled.

What is Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)?

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. The formula for this calculation on Fresh Del Monte Produce is:

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

0.04 = US$111m ÷ (US$3.4b - US$629m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2021).

So, Fresh Del Monte Produce has an ROCE of 4.0%. Ultimately, that's a low return and it under-performs the Food industry average of 9.4%.

View our latest analysis for Fresh Del Monte Produce

In the above chart we have measured Fresh Del Monte Produce's prior ROCE against its prior performance, but the future is arguably more important. If you're interested, you can view the analysts predictions in our free report on analyst forecasts for the company.

What Does the ROCE Trend For Fresh Del Monte Produce Tell Us?

In terms of Fresh Del Monte Produce's historical ROCE movements, the trend isn't fantastic. Over the last five years, returns on capital have decreased to 4.0% from 12% five years ago. However it looks like Fresh Del Monte Produce might be reinvesting for long term growth because while capital employed has increased, the company's sales haven't changed much in the last 12 months. It's worth keeping an eye on the company's earnings from here on to see if these investments do end up contributing to the bottom line.

The Key Takeaway

Bringing it all together, while we're somewhat encouraged by Fresh Del Monte Produce's reinvestment in its own business, we're aware that returns are shrinking. And investors appear hesitant that the trends will pick up because the stock has fallen 52% in the last five years. Therefore based on the analysis done in this article, we don't think Fresh Del Monte Produce has the makings of a multi-bagger.

On a final note, we've found 2 warning signs for Fresh Del Monte Produce that we think you should be aware of.

For those who like to invest in solid companies, check out this free list of companies with solid balance sheets and high 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.