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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? 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. Ultimately, this demonstrates that it's a business that is reinvesting profits at increasing rates of return. And in light of that, the trends we're seeing at Calnex Solutions' (LON:CLX) look very promising so lets take a look.
What Is 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. The formula for this calculation on Calnex Solutions is:
Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)
0.23 = UK£6.8m ÷ (UK£35m - UK£6.3m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2022).
Thus, Calnex Solutions has an ROCE of 23%. That's a fantastic return and not only that, it outpaces the average of 10% earned by companies in a similar industry.
Check out our latest analysis for Calnex Solutions
In the above chart we have measured Calnex Solutions' prior ROCE against its prior performance, but the future is arguably more important. If you'd like, you can check out the forecasts from the analysts covering Calnex Solutions here for free.
So How Is Calnex Solutions' ROCE Trending?
The trends we've noticed at Calnex Solutions are quite reassuring. Over the last five years, returns on capital employed have risen substantially to 23%. The company is effectively making more money per dollar of capital used, and it's worth noting that the amount of capital has increased too, by 416%. 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.
On a related note, the company's ratio of current liabilities to total assets has decreased to 18%, which basically reduces it's funding from the likes of short-term creditors or suppliers. So shareholders would be pleased that the growth in returns has mostly come from underlying business performance.
Our Take On Calnex Solutions' ROCE
All in all, it's terrific to see that Calnex Solutions is reaping the rewards from prior investments and is growing its capital base. Since the stock has returned a solid 31% to shareholders over the last year, it's fair to say investors are beginning to recognize these changes. With that being said, we still think the promising fundamentals mean the company deserves some further due diligence.