Today we are going to look at Million Hope Industries Holdings Limited (HKG:1897) to see whether it might be an attractive investment prospect. In particular, we'll consider its Return On Capital Employed (ROCE), as that can give us insight into how profitably the company is able to employ capital in its business.

First up, we'll look at what ROCE is and how we calculate it. Then we'll compare its ROCE to similar companies. Last but not least, we'll look at what impact its current liabilities have on its ROCE.

What is Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)?

ROCE is a measure of a company's yearly pre-tax profit (its return), relative to the capital employed in the business. Generally speaking a higher ROCE is better. In brief, it is a useful tool, but it is not without drawbacks. Author Edwin Whiting says to be careful when comparing the ROCE of different businesses, since 'No two businesses are exactly alike.'

How Do You Calculate Return On Capital Employed?

Analysts use this formula to calculate return on capital employed:

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

Or for Million Hope Industries Holdings:

0.36 = HK$73m ÷ (HK$383m - HK$178m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to March 2018.)

Therefore, Million Hope Industries Holdings has an ROCE of 36%.

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Check out our latest analysis for Million Hope Industries Holdings

Does Million Hope Industries Holdings Have A Good ROCE?

When making comparisons between similar businesses, investors may find ROCE useful. In our analysis, Million Hope Industries Holdings's ROCE is meaningfully higher than the 7.3% average in the Building industry. I think that's good to see, since it implies the company is better than other companies at making the most of its capital. Regardless of the industry comparison, in absolute terms, Million Hope Industries Holdings's ROCE currently appears to be excellent.

When considering this metric, keep in mind that it is backwards looking, and not necessarily predictive. Companies in cyclical industries can be difficult to understand using ROCE, as returns typically look high during boom times, and low during busts. This is because ROCE only looks at one year, instead of considering returns across a whole cycle. How cyclical is Million Hope Industries Holdings? You can see for yourself by looking at this free graph of past earnings, revenue and cash flow.