Returns On Capital Signal Tricky Times Ahead For Baidu (NASDAQ:BIDU)

Finding a business that has the potential to grow substantially is not easy, but it is possible if we look at a few key financial metrics. Typically, we'll want to notice a trend of growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and alongside that, an expanding base of capital employed. Basically this means that a company has profitable initiatives that it can continue to reinvest in, which is a trait of a compounding machine. However, after briefly looking over the numbers, we don't think Baidu (NASDAQ:BIDU) has the makings of a multi-bagger going forward, but let's have a look at why that may be.

Understanding Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)

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 Baidu is:

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

0.047 = CN¥15b ÷ (CN¥384b - CN¥74b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2021).

So, Baidu has an ROCE of 4.7%. In absolute terms, that's a low return and it also under-performs the Interactive Media and Services industry average of 11%.

View our latest analysis for Baidu

In the above chart we have measured Baidu's prior ROCE against its prior performance, but the future is arguably more important. If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free report for Baidu.

What The Trend Of ROCE Can Tell Us

In terms of Baidu's historical ROCE movements, the trend isn't fantastic. To be more specific, ROCE has fallen from 8.6% over the last five years. Although, given both revenue and the amount of assets employed in the business have increased, it could suggest the company is investing in growth, and the extra capital has led to a short-term reduction in ROCE. If these investments prove successful, this can bode very well for long term stock performance.

In Conclusion...

In summary, despite lower returns in the short term, we're encouraged to see that Baidu is reinvesting for growth and has higher sales as a result. And there could be an opportunity here if other metrics look good too, because the stock has declined 16% in the last five years. As a result, we'd recommend researching this stock further to uncover what other fundamentals of the business can show us.

On a separate note, we've found 3 warning signs for Baidu you'll probably want to know about.

While Baidu 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.