Returns On Capital Signal Difficult Times Ahead For IPG Photonics (NASDAQ:IPGP)

What financial metrics can indicate to us that a company is maturing or even in decline? Typically, we'll see the trend of both return on capital employed (ROCE) declining and this usually coincides with a decreasing amount of capital employed. Trends like this ultimately mean the business is reducing its investments and also earning less on what it has invested. And from a first read, things don't look too good at IPG Photonics (NASDAQ:IPGP), so let's see why.

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

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 IPG Photonics is:

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

0.09 = US$217m ÷ (US$2.7b - US$250m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to March 2023).

Thus, IPG Photonics has an ROCE of 9.0%. In absolute terms, that's a low return and it also under-performs the Electronic industry average of 13%.

View our latest analysis for IPG Photonics

Above you can see how the current ROCE for IPG Photonics compares to its prior returns on capital, but there's only so much you can tell from the past. If you'd like, you can check out the forecasts from the analysts covering IPG Photonics here for free.

SWOT Analysis for IPG Photonics

What Can We Tell From IPG Photonics' ROCE Trend?

In terms of IPG Photonics' historical ROCE movements, the trend doesn't inspire confidence. To be more specific, the ROCE was 26% five years ago, but since then it has dropped noticeably. Meanwhile, capital employed in the business has stayed roughly the flat over the period. Since returns are falling and the business has the same amount of assets employed, this can suggest it's a mature business that hasn't had much growth in the last five years. So because these trends aren't typically conducive to creating a multi-bagger, we wouldn't hold our breath on IPG Photonics becoming one if things continue as they have.

The Bottom Line

In summary, it's unfortunate that IPG Photonics is generating lower returns from the same amount of capital. Long term shareholders who've owned the stock over the last five years have experienced a 39% depreciation in their investment, so it appears the market might not like these trends either. With underlying trends that aren't great in these areas, we'd consider looking elsewhere.

If you want to continue researching IPG Photonics, you might be interested to know about the 2 warning signs that our analysis has discovered.

While IPG Photonics may not currently earn the highest returns, we've compiled a list of companies that currently earn more than 25% return on equity. Check out this free list here.

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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.