Here's What's Concerning About Stepan's (NYSE:SCL) Returns On Capital

What trends should we look for it we want to identify stocks that can multiply in value over the long term? Firstly, we'd want to identify a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and then alongside that, an ever-increasing base of capital employed. This shows us that it's a compounding machine, able to continually reinvest its earnings back into the business and generate higher returns. However, after briefly looking over the numbers, we don't think Stepan (NYSE:SCL) has the makings of a multi-bagger going forward, but let's have a look at why that may be.

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What Is Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)?

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. To calculate this metric for Stepan, this is the formula:

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

0.045 = US$78m ÷ (US$2.4b - US$678m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2025).

Thus, Stepan has an ROCE of 4.5%. Ultimately, that's a low return and it under-performs the Chemicals industry average of 9.2%.

Check out our latest analysis for Stepan

Above you can see how the current ROCE for Stepan compares to its prior returns on capital, but there's only so much you can tell from the past. If you'd like, you can check out the forecasts from the analysts covering Stepan for free.

What The Trend Of ROCE Can Tell Us

Unfortunately, the trend isn't great with ROCE falling from 11% five years ago, while capital employed has grown 42%. That being said, Stepan raised some capital prior to their latest results being released, so that could partly explain the increase in capital employed. It's unlikely that all of the funds raised have been put to work yet, so as a consequence Stepan might not have received a full period of earnings contribution from it. It's also worth noting the company's latest EBIT figure is within 10% of the previous year, so it's fair to assign the ROCE drop largely to the capital raise.

The Bottom Line

In summary, Stepan is reinvesting funds back into the business for growth but unfortunately it looks like sales haven't increased much just yet. And investors appear hesitant that the trends will pick up because the stock has fallen 55% in the last five years. In any case, the stock doesn't have these traits of a multi-bagger discussed above, so if that's what you're looking for, we think you'd have more luck elsewhere.

Stepan does have some risks, we noticed 3 warning signs (and 1 which can't be ignored) we think you should know about.

While Stepan may not currently earn the highest returns, we've compiled a list of companies that currently earn more than 25% return on equity. Check out this free list here.

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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.