In This Article:
Today we'll evaluate Genus Power Infrastructures Limited (NSE:GENUSPOWER) to determine whether it could have potential as an investment idea. 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, we'll go over how we calculate ROCE. Second, we'll look at its ROCE compared 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. Ultimately, it is a useful but imperfect metric. 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 Genus Power Infrastructures:
0.11 = ₹958m ÷ (₹14b - ₹5.3b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2019.)
So, Genus Power Infrastructures has an ROCE of 11%.
Check out our latest analysis for Genus Power Infrastructures
Does Genus Power Infrastructures Have A Good ROCE?
ROCE is commonly used for comparing the performance of similar businesses. Using our data, Genus Power Infrastructures's ROCE appears to be significantly below the 17% average in the Electronic industry. This could be seen as a negative, as it suggests some competitors may be employing their capital more efficiently. Setting aside the industry comparison for now, Genus Power Infrastructures's ROCE is mediocre in absolute terms, considering the risk of investing in stocks versus the safety of a bank account. Readers may find more attractive investment prospects elsewhere.
We can see that, Genus Power Infrastructures currently has an ROCE of 11%, less than the 16% it reported 3 years ago. Therefore we wonder if the company is facing new headwinds. You can see in the image below how Genus Power Infrastructures's ROCE compares to its industry. Click to see more on past growth.
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. Since the future is so important for investors, you should check out our free report on analyst forecasts for Genus Power Infrastructures.