The Returns At IRadimed (NASDAQ:IRMD) Provide Us With Signs Of What's To Come

What are the early trends we should look for to identify a stock that could 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. Put simply, these types of businesses are compounding machines, meaning they are continually reinvesting their earnings at ever-higher rates of return. In light of that, when we looked at IRadimed (NASDAQ:IRMD) and its ROCE trend, we weren't exactly thrilled.

What is Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)?

For those that aren't sure what ROCE is, it measures the amount of pre-tax profits a company can generate from the capital employed in its business. Analysts use this formula to calculate it for IRadimed:

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

0.054 = US$3.5m ÷ (US$70m - US$4.8m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2020).

Therefore, IRadimed has an ROCE of 5.4%. Ultimately, that's a low return and it under-performs the Medical Equipment industry average of 9.9%.

See our latest analysis for IRadimed

In the above chart we have measured IRadimed'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 The Trend Of ROCE Can Tell Us

In terms of IRadimed's historical ROCE movements, the trend isn't fantastic. Over the last five years, returns on capital have decreased to 5.4% from 30% five years ago. However it looks like IRadimed 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.

In Conclusion...

In summary, IRadimed is reinvesting funds back into the business for growth but unfortunately it looks like sales haven't increased much just yet. And in the last five years, the stock has given away 21% so the market doesn't look too hopeful on these trends strengthening any time soon. On the whole, we aren't too inspired by the underlying trends and we think there may be better chances of finding a multi-bagger elsewhere.

IRadimed does have some risks though, and we've spotted 3 warning signs for IRadimed that you might be interested in.

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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