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What trends should we look for it we want to identify stocks that can multiply in value over the long term? Firstly, we'd want to identify a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and then alongside that, an ever-increasing base of capital employed. If you see this, it typically means it's a company with a great business model and plenty of profitable reinvestment opportunities. With that in mind, we've noticed some promising trends at Audinate Group (ASX:AD8) so let's look a bit deeper.
Understanding Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)
Just to clarify if you're unsure, ROCE is a metric for evaluating how much pre-tax income (in percentage terms) a company earns on the capital invested in its business. To calculate this metric for Audinate Group, this is the formula:
Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)
0.033 = AU$5.5m ÷ (AU$181m - AU$13m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2023).
So, Audinate Group has an ROCE of 3.3%. Ultimately, that's a low return and it under-performs the Electronic industry average of 17%.
See our latest analysis for Audinate Group
In the above chart we have measured Audinate Group's prior ROCE against its prior performance, but the future is arguably more important. If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free analyst report for Audinate Group .
What Does the ROCE Trend For Audinate Group Tell Us?
We're glad to see that ROCE is heading in the right direction, even if it is still low at the moment. The data shows that returns on capital have increased substantially over the last five years to 3.3%. Basically the business is earning more per dollar of capital invested and in addition to that, 668% more capital is being employed now too. This can indicate that there's plenty of opportunities to invest capital internally and at ever higher rates, a combination that's common among multi-baggers.
In Conclusion...
A company that is growing its returns on capital and can consistently reinvest in itself is a highly sought after trait, and that's what Audinate Group has. And a remarkable 295% total return over the last five years tells us that investors are expecting more good things to come in the future. With that being said, we still think the promising fundamentals mean the company deserves some further due diligence.
Audinate Group does have some risks though, and we've spotted 2 warning signs for Audinate Group that you might be interested in.