Returns On Capital Are Showing Encouraging Signs At Baxter International (NYSE:BAX)

Did you know there are some financial metrics that can provide clues of a potential multi-bagger? In a perfect world, we'd like to see a company investing more capital into its business and ideally the returns earned from that capital are also increasing. This shows us that it's a compounding machine, able to continually reinvest its earnings back into the business and generate higher returns. So when we looked at Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) and its trend of ROCE, we really liked what we saw.

Return On Capital Employed (ROCE): What is it?

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 Baxter International:

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

0.12 = US$1.9b ÷ (US$20b - US$3.3b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2021).

Therefore, Baxter International has an ROCE of 12%. On its own, that's a standard return, however it's much better than the 8.9% generated by the Medical Equipment industry.

Check out our latest analysis for Baxter International

In the above chart we have measured Baxter International'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 Baxter International here for free.

The Trend Of ROCE

Investors would be pleased with what's happening at Baxter International. Over the last five years, returns on capital employed have risen substantially to 12%. The company is effectively making more money per dollar of capital used, and it's worth noting that the amount of capital has increased too, by 33%. This can indicate that there's plenty of opportunities to invest capital internally and at ever higher rates, a combination that's common among multi-baggers.

What We Can Learn From Baxter International's ROCE

All in all, it's terrific to see that Baxter International is reaping the rewards from prior investments and is growing its capital base. And with a respectable 82% 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. With that being said, we still think the promising fundamentals mean the company deserves some further due diligence.

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

While Baxter International isn't earning the highest return, check out this free list of companies that are earning high returns on equity with solid balance sheets.

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.

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