Do You Know About Science Applications International Corporation’s (NYSE:SAIC) ROCE?

Today we are going to look at Science Applications International Corporation (NYSE:SAIC) to see whether it might be an attractive investment prospect. Specifically, we're going to calculate its Return On Capital Employed (ROCE), in the hopes of getting some insight into the business.

Firstly, we'll go over how we calculate ROCE. Second, we'll look at its ROCE compared to similar companies. Finally, we'll look at how its current liabilities affect its ROCE.

What is Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)?

ROCE measures the amount of pre-tax profits a company can generate from the capital employed in its business. All else being equal, a better business will have a higher ROCE. Overall, it is a valuable metric that has its flaws. Renowned investment researcher Michael Mauboussin has suggested that a high ROCE can indicate that 'one dollar invested in the company generates value of more than one dollar'.

So, How Do We Calculate ROCE?

The formula for calculating the return on capital employed is:

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

Or for Science Applications International:

0.11 = US$391m ÷ (US$4.7b - US$1.2b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to November 2019.)

So, Science Applications International has an ROCE of 11%.

Check out our latest analysis for Science Applications International

Is Science Applications International's ROCE Good?

ROCE is commonly used for comparing the performance of similar businesses. Using our data, Science Applications International's ROCE appears to be around the 12% average of the IT industry. Regardless of where Science Applications International sits next to its industry, its ROCE in absolute terms appears satisfactory, and this company could be worth a closer look.

We can see that, Science Applications International currently has an ROCE of 11%, less than the 20% it reported 3 years ago. This makes us wonder if the business is facing new challenges. You can see in the image below how Science Applications International's ROCE compares to its industry. Click to see more on past growth.

It is important to remember that ROCE shows past performance, and is not necessarily predictive. ROCE can be misleading for companies in cyclical industries, with returns looking impressive during the boom times, but very weak during the busts. ROCE is, after all, simply a snap shot of a single year. Future performance is what matters, and you can see analyst predictions in our free report on analyst forecasts for the company.

Do Science Applications International's Current Liabilities Skew Its ROCE?

Current liabilities are short term bills and invoices that need to be paid in 12 months or less. The ROCE equation subtracts current liabilities from capital employed, so a company with a lot of current liabilities appears to have less capital employed, and a higher ROCE than otherwise. To counteract this, we check if a company has high current liabilities, relative to its total assets.

Science Applications International has total assets of US$4.7b and current liabilities of US$1.2b. As a result, its current liabilities are equal to approximately 25% of its total assets. Low current liabilities are not boosting the ROCE too much.

Our Take On Science Applications International's ROCE

This is good to see, and with a sound ROCE, Science Applications International could be worth a closer look. There might be better investments than Science Applications International out there, but you will have to work hard to find them . These promising businesses with rapidly growing earnings might be right up your alley.

For those who like to find winning investments this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned.

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