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If we want to find a stock that could multiply over the long term, what are the underlying trends we should look for? Firstly, we'd want to identify a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and then alongside that, an ever-increasing base 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. Having said that, while the ROCE is currently high for Evertz Technologies (TSE:ET), we aren't jumping out of our chairs because returns are decreasing.
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. The formula for this calculation on Evertz Technologies is:
Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)
0.27 = CA$88m ÷ (CA$482m - CA$162m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to July 2021).
So, Evertz Technologies has an ROCE of 27%. That's a fantastic return and not only that, it outpaces the average of 9.4% earned by companies in a similar industry.
See our latest analysis for Evertz Technologies
Above you can see how the current ROCE for Evertz Technologies compares to its prior returns on capital, but there's only so much you can tell from the past. If you're interested, you can view the analysts predictions in our free report on analyst forecasts for the company.
The Trend Of ROCE
Over the past five years, Evertz Technologies' ROCE and capital employed have both remained mostly flat. Businesses with these traits tend to be mature and steady operations because they're past the growth phase. So it may not be a multi-bagger in the making, but given the decent 27% return on capital, it'd be difficult to find fault with the business's current operations.
On another note, while the change in ROCE trend might not scream for attention, it's interesting that the current liabilities have actually gone up over the last five years. This is intriguing because if current liabilities hadn't increased to 34% of total assets, this reported ROCE would probably be less than27% because total capital employed would be higher.The 27% ROCE could be even lower if current liabilities weren't 34% of total assets, because the the formula would show a larger base of total capital employed. With that in mind, just be wary if this ratio increases in the future, because if it gets particularly high, this brings with it some new elements of risk.