Some Investors May Be Worried About Ollie's Bargain Outlet Holdings' (NASDAQ:OLLI) Returns On Capital

If we want to find a stock that could multiply over the long term, what are the underlying trends we should look for? Ideally, a business will show two trends; firstly a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and secondly, an increasing amount 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. Although, when we looked at Ollie's Bargain Outlet Holdings (NASDAQ:OLLI), it didn't seem to tick all of these boxes.

Return On Capital Employed (ROCE): What Is It?

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. 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)

0.068 = US$120m ÷ (US$2.0b - US$252m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to October 2022).

So, Ollie's Bargain Outlet Holdings has an ROCE of 6.8%. Ultimately, that's a low return and it under-performs the Multiline Retail industry average of 13%.

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'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free report for Ollie's Bargain Outlet Holdings.

What Does the ROCE Trend For Ollie's Bargain Outlet Holdings Tell Us?

In terms of Ollie's Bargain Outlet Holdings' historical ROCE movements, the trend isn't fantastic. To be more specific, ROCE has fallen from 13% over the last five years. Meanwhile, the business is utilizing more capital but this hasn't moved the needle much in terms of sales in the past 12 months, so this could reflect longer term investments. It may take some time before the company starts to see any change in earnings from these investments.

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

In summary, Ollie's Bargain Outlet Holdings is reinvesting funds back into the business for growth but unfortunately it looks like sales haven't increased much just yet. And investors may be recognizing these trends since the stock has only returned a total of 2.6% to shareholders over the last five years. So if you're looking for a multi-bagger, the underlying trends indicate you may have better chances elsewhere.

One more thing, we've spotted 1 warning sign facing Ollie's Bargain Outlet Holdings that you might find interesting.

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.