Today we’ll evaluate Greenlam Industries Limited (NSE:GRNLAMIND) to determine whether it could have potential as an investment idea. To be precise, we’ll consider its Return On Capital Employed (ROCE), as that will inform our view of the quality of the business.
Firstly, we’ll go over how we calculate ROCE. Next, we’ll compare it to others in its industry. Then we’ll determine how its current liabilities are affecting its ROCE.
What is Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)?
ROCE measures the amount of pre-tax profits a company can generate from the capital employed in its business. In general, businesses with a higher ROCE are usually better quality. In brief, it is a useful tool, but it is not without drawbacks. Renowned investment researcher Michael Mauboussin has suggested that a high ROCE can indicate that ‘one dollar invested in the company generates value of more than one dollar’.
How Do You Calculate Return On Capital Employed?
Analysts use this formula to calculate return on capital employed:
Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets – Current Liabilities)
Or for Greenlam Industries:
0.24 = ₹1.2b ÷ (₹8.9b – ₹4.0b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2018.)
Therefore, Greenlam Industries has an ROCE of 24%.
Check out our latest analysis for Greenlam Industries
Does Greenlam Industries Have A Good ROCE?
When making comparisons between similar businesses, investors may find ROCE useful. Using our data, we find that Greenlam Industries’s ROCE is meaningfully better than the 12% average in the Building industry. We consider this a positive sign, because it suggests it uses capital more efficiently than similar companies. Regardless of where Greenlam Industries sits next to its industry, its ROCE in absolute terms appears satisfactory, and this company could be worth a closer look.
When considering ROCE, bear in mind that it reflects the past and does not necessarily predict the future. Companies in cyclical industries can be difficult to understand using ROCE, as returns typically look high during boom times, and low during busts. ROCE is only a point-in-time measure. Future performance is what matters, and you can see analyst predictions in our free report on analyst forecasts for the company.
What Are Current Liabilities, And How Do They Affect Greenlam Industries’s ROCE?
Current liabilities are short term bills and invoices that need to be paid in 12 months or less. The ROCE equation subtracts current liabilities from capital employed, so a company with a lot of current liabilities appears to have less capital employed, and a higher ROCE than otherwise. To check the impact of this, we calculate if a company has high current liabilities relative to its total assets.