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If you're not sure where to start when looking for the next multi-bagger, there are a few key trends you should keep an eye out for. Typically, we'll want to notice a trend of growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and alongside that, an expanding base of capital employed. This shows us that it's a compounding machine, able to continually reinvest its earnings back into the business and generate higher returns. So when we looked at Kinder Morgan (NYSE:KMI) and its trend of ROCE, we really liked what we saw.
What is Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)?
If you haven't worked with ROCE before, it measures the 'return' (pre-tax profit) a company generates from capital employed in its business. To calculate this metric for Kinder Morgan, this is the formula:
Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)
0.07 = US$4.5b ÷ (US$70b - US$5.8b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2021).
Therefore, Kinder Morgan has an ROCE of 7.0%. In absolute terms, that's a low return and it also under-performs the Oil and Gas industry average of 9.1%.
View our latest analysis for Kinder Morgan
Above you can see how the current ROCE for Kinder Morgan compares to its prior returns on capital, but there's only so much you can tell from the past. If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free report for Kinder Morgan.
What Can We Tell From Kinder Morgan's ROCE Trend?
Kinder Morgan has not disappointed with their ROCE growth. The figures show that over the last five years, ROCE has grown 34% whilst employing roughly the same amount of capital. Basically the business is generating higher returns from the same amount of capital and that is proof that there are improvements in the company's efficiencies. On that front, things are looking good so it's worth exploring what management has said about growth plans going forward.
The Bottom Line On Kinder Morgan's ROCE
In summary, we're delighted to see that Kinder Morgan has been able to increase efficiencies and earn higher rates of return on the same amount of capital. And given the stock has remained rather flat over the last five years, there might be an opportunity here if other metrics are strong. So researching this company further and determining whether or not these trends will continue seems justified.
One more thing: We've identified 3 warning signs with Kinder Morgan (at least 2 which are concerning) , and understanding these would certainly be useful.