Here's What's Concerning About Clearwater Paper's (NYSE:CLW) Returns On Capital

If you're looking at a mature business that's past the growth phase, what are some of the underlying trends that pop up? 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. This reveals that the company isn't compounding shareholder wealth because returns are falling and its net asset base is shrinking. So after glancing at the trends within Clearwater Paper (NYSE:CLW), we weren't too hopeful.

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

If you haven't worked with ROCE before, it measures the 'return' (pre-tax profit) a company generates from capital employed in its business. The formula for this calculation on Clearwater Paper is:

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

0.066 = US$99m ÷ (US$1.8b - US$256m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2021).

Thus, Clearwater Paper has an ROCE of 6.6%. In absolute terms, that's a low return and it also under-performs the Forestry industry average of 9.1%.

Check out our latest analysis for Clearwater Paper

Above you can see how the current ROCE for Clearwater Paper 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 Clearwater Paper.

What Does the ROCE Trend For Clearwater Paper Tell Us?

There is reason to be cautious about Clearwater Paper, given the returns are trending downwards. About five years ago, returns on capital were 12%, however they're now substantially lower than that as we saw above. And on the capital employed front, the business is utilizing roughly the same amount of capital as it was back then. Since returns are falling and the business has the same amount of assets employed, this can suggest it's a mature business that hasn't had much growth in the last five years. So because these trends aren't typically conducive to creating a multi-bagger, we wouldn't hold our breath on Clearwater Paper becoming one if things continue as they have.

In Conclusion...

In summary, it's unfortunate that Clearwater Paper is generating lower returns from the same amount of capital. It should come as no surprise then that the stock has fallen 41% over the last five years, so it looks like investors are recognizing these changes. Unless there is a shift to a more positive trajectory in these metrics, we would look elsewhere.

Since virtually every company faces some risks, it's worth knowing what they are, and we've spotted 5 warning signs for Clearwater Paper (of which 2 shouldn't be ignored!) that you should know about.

While Clearwater Paper 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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