Did you know there are some financial metrics that can provide clues of a potential multi-bagger? Firstly, we'll want to see a proven return on capital employed (ROCE) that is increasing, and secondly, an expanding 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. In light of that, when we looked at Teo Seng Capital Berhad (KLSE:TEOSENG) and its ROCE trend, we weren't exactly thrilled.
What Is Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)?
For those who don't know, ROCE is a measure of a company's yearly pre-tax profit (its return), relative to the capital employed in the business. To calculate this metric for Teo Seng Capital Berhad, this is the formula:
Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)
0.0018 = RM749k ÷ (RM620m - RM205m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2022).
Thus, Teo Seng Capital Berhad has an ROCE of 0.2%. Ultimately, that's a low return and it under-performs the Food industry average of 11%.
View our latest analysis for Teo Seng Capital Berhad
Above you can see how the current ROCE for Teo Seng Capital Berhad 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.
What The Trend Of ROCE Can Tell Us
In terms of Teo Seng Capital Berhad's historical ROCE movements, the trend isn't fantastic. To be more specific, ROCE has fallen from 2.5% over the last five years. Although, given both revenue and the amount of assets employed in the business have increased, it could suggest the company is investing in growth, and the extra capital has led to a short-term reduction in ROCE. If these investments prove successful, this can bode very well for long term stock performance.
Our Take On Teo Seng Capital Berhad's ROCE
Even though returns on capital have fallen in the short term, we find it promising that revenue and capital employed have both increased for Teo Seng Capital Berhad. These trends don't appear to have influenced returns though, because the total return from the stock has been mostly flat over the last five years. As a result, we'd recommend researching this stock further to uncover what other fundamentals of the business can show us.
One more thing, we've spotted 1 warning sign facing Teo Seng Capital Berhad 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.