When it comes to investing, there are some useful financial metrics that can warn us when a business is potentially in trouble. When we see a declining return on capital employed (ROCE) in conjunction with a declining base of capital employed, that's often how a mature business shows signs of aging. Trends like this ultimately mean the business is reducing its investments and also earning less on what it has invested. Having said that, after a brief look, Capinfo (HKG:1075) we aren't filled with optimism, but let's investigate further.
Our free stock report includes 3 warning signs investors should be aware of before investing in Capinfo. Read for free now.Understanding 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 Capinfo, this is the formula:
Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)
0.0032 = CN¥4.1m ÷ (CN¥2.4b - CN¥1.1b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2024).
Thus, Capinfo has an ROCE of 0.3%. Ultimately, that's a low return and it under-performs the IT industry average of 6.1%.
View our latest analysis for Capinfo
While the past is not representative of the future, it can be helpful to know how a company has performed historically, which is why we have this chart above. If you'd like to look at how Capinfo has performed in the past in other metrics, you can view this free graph of Capinfo's past earnings, revenue and cash flow.
So How Is Capinfo's ROCE Trending?
There is reason to be cautious about Capinfo, given the returns are trending downwards. To be more specific, the ROCE was 11% five years ago, but since then it has dropped noticeably. On top of that, it's worth noting that the amount of capital employed within the business has remained relatively steady. Since returns are falling and the business has the same amount of assets employed, this can suggest it's a mature business that hasn't had much growth in the last five years. If these trends continue, we wouldn't expect Capinfo to turn into a multi-bagger.
On a separate but related note, it's important to know that Capinfo has a current liabilities to total assets ratio of 47%, which we'd consider pretty high. This can bring about some risks because the company is basically operating with a rather large reliance on its suppliers or other sorts of short-term creditors. Ideally we'd like to see this reduce as that would mean fewer obligations bearing risks.
The Key Takeaway
In the end, the trend of lower returns on the same amount of capital isn't typically an indication that we're looking at a growth stock. Long term shareholders who've owned the stock over the last five years have experienced a 31% depreciation in their investment, so it appears the market might not like these trends either. With underlying trends that aren't great in these areas, we'd consider looking elsewhere.
One more thing: We've identified 3 warning signs with Capinfo (at least 1 which can't be ignored) , and understanding them would certainly be useful.
While Capinfo isn't earning the highest return, check out this free list of companies that are earning high returns on equity with solid balance sheets.
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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.