Slowing Rates Of Return At Floor & Decor Holdings (NYSE:FND) Leave Little Room For Excitement

If we want to find a potential multi-bagger, often there are underlying trends that can provide clues. Ideally, a business will show two trends; firstly a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and secondly, an increasing amount of capital employed. Put simply, these types of businesses are compounding machines, meaning they are continually reinvesting their earnings at ever-higher rates of return. With that in mind, the ROCE of Floor & Decor Holdings (NYSE:FND) looks decent, right now, so lets see what the trend of returns can tell us.

Understanding Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)

Just to clarify if you're unsure, ROCE is a metric for evaluating how much pre-tax income (in percentage terms) a company earns on the capital invested in its business. The formula for this calculation on Floor & Decor Holdings is:

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

0.13 = US$350m ÷ (US$3.6b - US$1.0b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2021).

So, Floor & Decor Holdings has an ROCE of 13%. In absolute terms, that's a pretty standard return but compared to the Specialty Retail industry average it falls behind.

View our latest analysis for Floor & Decor Holdings

Above you can see how the current ROCE for Floor & Decor Holdings 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 Floor & Decor Holdings.

What Does the ROCE Trend For Floor & Decor Holdings Tell Us?

While the returns on capital are good, they haven't moved much. The company has employed 357% more capital in the last five years, and the returns on that capital have remained stable at 13%. Since 13% is a moderate ROCE though, it's good to see a business can continue to reinvest at these decent rates of return. Over long periods of time, returns like these might not be too exciting, but with consistency they can pay off in terms of share price returns.

The Bottom Line

In the end, Floor & Decor Holdings has proven its ability to adequately reinvest capital at good rates of return. And the stock has done incredibly well with a 371% return over the last three years, so long term investors are no doubt ecstatic with that result. So while the positive underlying trends may be accounted for by investors, we still think this stock is worth looking into further.

One more thing to note, we've identified 1 warning sign with Floor & Decor Holdings and understanding this should be part of your investment process.

While Floor & Decor Holdings isn't earning the highest return, check out this free list of companies that are earning high returns on equity with solid balance sheets.

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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.