Want to participate in a short research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card!

For long-term investors, assessing earnings trend over time and against industry benchmarks is more beneficial than examining a single earnings announcement at a point in time. Investors may find my commentary, albeit very high-level and brief, on Vicat SA (EPA:VCT) useful as an attempt to give more color around how Vicat is currently performing.

See our latest analysis for Vicat

How Well Did VCT Perform?

VCT's trailing twelve-month earnings (from 31 December 2018) of €151m has increased by 6.3% compared to the previous year.

Furthermore, this one-year growth rate has exceeded its 5-year annual growth average of 6.2%, indicating the rate at which VCT is growing has accelerated. How has it been able to do this? Let's see whether it is merely attributable to an industry uplift, or if Vicat has experienced some company-specific growth.

In terms of returns from investment, Vicat has fallen short of achieving a 20% return on equity (ROE), recording 6.5% instead. Furthermore, its return on assets (ROA) of 3.7% is below the FR Basic Materials industry of 6.1%, indicating Vicat's are utilized less efficiently. However, its return on capital (ROC), which also accounts for Vicat’s debt level, has increased over the past 3 years from 5.9% to 6.0%. This correlates with a decrease in debt holding, with debt-to-equity ratio declining from 60% to 41% over the past 5 years.

What does this mean?

Vicat's track record can be a valuable insight into its earnings performance, but it certainly doesn't tell the whole story. Positive growth and profitability are what investors like to see in a company’s track record, but how do we properly assess sustainability? You should continue to research Vicat to get a more holistic view of the stock by looking at:

1. Future Outlook: What are well-informed industry analysts predicting for VCT’s future growth? Take a look at our free research report of analyst consensus for VCT’s outlook.

2. Financial Health: Are VCT’s operations financially sustainable? Balance sheets can be hard to analyze, which is why we’ve done it for you. Check out our financial health checks here.

3. Other High-Performing Stocks: Are there other stocks that provide better prospects with proven track records? Explore our free list of these great stocks here.

NB: Figures in this article are calculated using data from the trailing twelve months from 31 December 2018. This may not be consistent with full year annual report figures.

We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.

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. Thank you for reading.