Slowing Rates Of Return At Ollie's Bargain Outlet Holdings (NASDAQ:OLLI) Leave Little Room For Excitement

To find a multi-bagger stock, what are the underlying trends we should look for in a business? Firstly, we'll want to see a proven return on capital employed (ROCE) that is increasing, and secondly, an expanding base of capital employed. If you see this, it typically means it's a company with a great business model and plenty of profitable reinvestment opportunities. With that in mind, the ROCE of Ollie's Bargain Outlet Holdings (NASDAQ:OLLI) looks decent, right now, so lets see what the trend of returns can tell us.

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 Ollie's Bargain Outlet Holdings is:

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

0.12 = US$204m ÷ (US$2.0b - US$263m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to January 2022).

Thus, Ollie's Bargain Outlet Holdings has an ROCE of 12%. That's a pretty standard return and it's in line with the industry average of 12%.

Check out our latest analysis for Ollie's Bargain Outlet Holdings

In the above chart we have measured Ollie's Bargain Outlet Holdings' prior ROCE against its prior performance, but the future is arguably more important. If you're interested, you can view the analysts predictions in our free report on analyst forecasts for the company.

How Are Returns Trending?

The trend of ROCE doesn't stand out much, but returns on a whole are decent. The company has employed 83% more capital in the last five years, and the returns on that capital have remained stable at 12%. 12% is a pretty standard return, and it provides some comfort knowing that Ollie's Bargain Outlet Holdings has consistently earned this amount. Stable returns in this ballpark can be unexciting, but if they can be maintained over the long run, they often provide nice rewards to shareholders.

The Bottom Line On Ollie's Bargain Outlet Holdings' ROCE

To sum it up, Ollie's Bargain Outlet Holdings has simply been reinvesting capital steadily, at those decent rates of return. In light of this, the stock has only gained 26% over the last five years for shareholders who have owned the stock in this period. That's why it could be worth your time looking into this stock further to discover if it has more traits of a multi-bagger.

On a final note, we've found 1 warning sign for Ollie's Bargain Outlet Holdings that we think you should be aware of.

For those who like to invest in solid companies, check out this free list of companies with solid balance sheets and high returns on equity.

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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.