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Finding a business that has the potential to grow substantially is not easy, but it is possible if we look at a few key financial metrics. Typically, we'll want to notice a trend of growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and alongside that, an expanding base of capital employed. Put simply, these types of businesses are compounding machines, meaning they are continually reinvesting their earnings at ever-higher rates of return. So on that note, Rackspace Technology (NASDAQ:RXT) looks quite promising in regards to its trends of return on capital.
Return On Capital Employed (ROCE): What is it?
If you haven't worked with ROCE before, it measures the 'return' (pre-tax profit) a company generates from capital employed in its business. Analysts use this formula to calculate it for Rackspace Technology:
Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)
0.039 = US$215m ÷ (US$6.3b - US$818m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to March 2022).
So, Rackspace Technology has an ROCE of 3.9%. Ultimately, that's a low return and it under-performs the IT industry average of 12%.
View our latest analysis for Rackspace Technology
Above you can see how the current ROCE for Rackspace Technology compares to its prior returns on capital, but there's only so much you can tell from the past. If you'd like, you can check out the forecasts from the analysts covering Rackspace Technology here for free.
So How Is Rackspace Technology's ROCE Trending?
While the ROCE isn't as high as some other companies out there, it's great to see it's on the up. Looking at the data, we can see that even though capital employed in the business has remained relatively flat, the ROCE generated has risen by 36% over the last three years. 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. The company is doing well in that sense, and it's worth investigating what the management team has planned for long term growth prospects.
What We Can Learn From Rackspace Technology's ROCE
To sum it up, Rackspace Technology is collecting higher returns from the same amount of capital, and that's impressive. Given the stock has declined 64% in the last year, this could be a good investment if the valuation and other metrics are also appealing. That being the case, research into the company's current valuation metrics and future prospects seems fitting.
On a separate note, we've found 2 warning signs for Rackspace Technology you'll probably want to know about.