Here's What's Concerning About MEDNAX's (NYSE:MD) Returns On Capital

When we're researching a company, it's sometimes hard to find the warning signs, but there are some financial metrics that can help spot trouble early. A business that's potentially in decline often shows two trends, a return on capital employed (ROCE) that's declining, and a base of capital employed that's also declining. Basically the company is earning less on its investments and it is also reducing its total assets. And from a first read, things don't look too good at MEDNAX (NYSE:MD), so let's see why.

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

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. Analysts use this formula to calculate it for MEDNAX:

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

0.085 = US$192m ÷ (US$2.6b - US$398m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2021).

So, MEDNAX has an ROCE of 8.5%. Ultimately, that's a low return and it under-performs the Healthcare industry average of 12%.

View our latest analysis for MEDNAX

Above you can see how the current ROCE for MEDNAX compares to its prior returns on capital, but there's only so much you can tell from the past. If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free report for MEDNAX.

The Trend Of ROCE

The trend of returns that MEDNAX is generating are raising some concerns. Unfortunately, returns have declined substantially over the last five years to the 8.5% we see today. In addition to that, MEDNAX is now employing 54% less capital than it was five years ago. The combination of lower ROCE and less capital employed can indicate that a business is likely to be facing some competitive headwinds or seeing an erosion to its moat. Typically businesses that exhibit these characteristics aren't the ones that tend to multiply over the long term, because statistically speaking, they've already gone through the growth phase of their life cycle.

In Conclusion...

In summary, it's unfortunate that MEDNAX is shrinking its capital base and also generating lower returns. Investors haven't taken kindly to these developments, since the stock has declined 63% from where it was five years ago. With underlying trends that aren't great in these areas, we'd consider looking elsewhere.

MEDNAX does come with some risks though, we found 3 warning signs in our investment analysis, and 1 of those is a bit concerning...

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

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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.