The Trends At Exelon (NASDAQ:EXC) That You Should Know About

If you're looking for a multi-bagger, there's a few things to keep an eye out for. 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 Exelon (NASDAQ:EXC) has the makings of a multi-bagger going forward, but let's have a look at why that may be.

Understanding Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)

For those that aren't sure what ROCE is, it measures the amount of pre-tax profits a company can generate from the capital employed in its business. Analysts use this formula to calculate it for Exelon:

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

0.034 = US$3.9b ÷ (US$128b - US$11b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2020).

Thus, Exelon has an ROCE of 3.4%. In absolute terms, that's a low return and it also under-performs the Electric Utilities industry average of 4.5%.

See our latest analysis for Exelon

In the above chart we have measured Exelon's 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 Exelon.

How Are Returns Trending?

When we looked at the ROCE trend at Exelon, we didn't gain much confidence. Around five years ago the returns on capital were 5.1%, but since then they've fallen to 3.4%. However it looks like Exelon might be reinvesting for long term growth because while capital employed has increased, the company's sales haven't changed much in the last 12 months. It's worth keeping an eye on the company's earnings from here on to see if these investments do end up contributing to the bottom line.

The Key Takeaway

Bringing it all together, while we're somewhat encouraged by Exelon's reinvestment in its own business, we're aware that returns are shrinking. Since the stock has gained an impressive 54% over the last five years, investors must think there's better things to come. But if the trajectory of these underlying trends continue, we think the likelihood of it being a multi-bagger from here isn't high.

On a final note, we found 2 warning signs for Exelon (1 is concerning) you should be aware of.

While Exelon 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. 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.
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