Returns On Capital At Akamai Technologies (NASDAQ:AKAM) Have Hit The Brakes

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. One common approach is to try and find a company with returns on capital employed (ROCE) that are increasing, in conjunction with a growing 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. However, after briefly looking over the numbers, we don't think Akamai Technologies (NASDAQ:AKAM) has the makings of a multi-bagger going forward, but let's have a look at why that may be.

We've found 21 US stocks that are forecast to pay a dividend yield of over 6% next year. See the full list for free.

What Is 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. To calculate this metric for Akamai Technologies, this is the formula:

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

0.077 = US$636m ÷ (US$10b - US$2.1b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2024).

Therefore, Akamai Technologies has an ROCE of 7.7%. In absolute terms, that's a low return and it also under-performs the IT industry average of 9.7%.

View our latest analysis for Akamai Technologies

Above you can see how the current ROCE for Akamai Technologies 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 analyst report for Akamai Technologies .

So How Is Akamai Technologies' ROCE Trending?

In terms of Akamai Technologies' historical ROCE trend, it doesn't exactly demand attention. The company has employed 31% more capital in the last five years, and the returns on that capital have remained stable at 7.7%. This poor ROCE doesn't inspire confidence right now, and with the increase in capital employed, it's evident that the business isn't deploying the funds into high return investments.

On another note, while the change in ROCE trend might not scream for attention, it's interesting that the current liabilities have actually gone up over the last five years. This is intriguing because if current liabilities hadn't increased to 20% of total assets, this reported ROCE would probably be less than7.7% because total capital employed would be higher.The 7.7% ROCE could be even lower if current liabilities weren't 20% of total assets, because the the formula would show a larger base of total capital employed. So while current liabilities isn't high right now, keep an eye out in case it increases further, because this can introduce some elements of risk.

The Bottom Line On Akamai Technologies' ROCE

In conclusion, Akamai Technologies has been investing more capital into the business, but returns on that capital haven't increased. And investors appear hesitant that the trends will pick up because the stock has fallen 18% in the last five years. All in all, the inherent trends aren't typical of multi-baggers, so if that's what you're after, we think you might have more luck elsewhere.

While Akamai Technologies doesn't shine too bright in this respect, it's still worth seeing if the company is trading at attractive prices. You can find that out with our FREE intrinsic value estimation for AKAM on our platform.

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

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.

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.