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What are the early trends we should look for to identify a stock that could multiply in value over the long term? Amongst other things, we'll want to see two things; firstly, a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and secondly, an expansion in the company's amount 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. So, when we ran our eye over Sysco's (NYSE:SYY) trend of ROCE, we liked what we saw.
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 Sysco is:
Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)
0.19 = US$2.7b ÷ (US$23b - US$8.5b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to July 2023).
So, Sysco has an ROCE of 19%. In absolute terms, that's a satisfactory return, but compared to the Consumer Retailing industry average of 13% it's much better.
View our latest analysis for Sysco
Above you can see how the current ROCE for Sysco 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 Sysco here for free.
How Are Returns Trending?
While the current returns on capital are decent, they haven't changed much. Over the past five years, ROCE has remained relatively flat at around 19% and the business has deployed 24% more capital into its operations. Since 19% is a moderate ROCE though, it's good to see a business can continue to reinvest at these decent rates of return. Over long periods of time, returns like these might not be too exciting, but with consistency they can pay off in terms of share price returns.
The Bottom Line On Sysco's ROCE
To sum it up, Sysco has simply been reinvesting capital steadily, at those decent rates of return. And given the stock has only risen 6.3% over the last five years, we'd suspect the market is beginning to recognize these trends. So to determine if Sysco is a multi-bagger going forward, we'd suggest digging deeper into the company's other fundamentals.
One more thing, we've spotted 1 warning sign facing Sysco that you might find interesting.
For those who like to invest in solid companies, check out this free list of companies with solid balance sheets and high returns on equity.
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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.