Antofagasta (LON:ANTO) Shareholders Will Want The ROCE Trajectory To Continue
If we want to find a potential multi-bagger, often there are underlying trends that can provide clues. Typically, we'll want to notice a trend of growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and alongside that, an expanding base of capital employed. Ultimately, this demonstrates that it's a business that is reinvesting profits at increasing rates of return. With that in mind, we've noticed some promising trends at Antofagasta (LON:ANTO) so let's look a bit deeper.
Understanding Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)
If you haven't worked with ROCE before, it measures the 'return' (pre-tax profit) a company generates from capital employed in its business. The formula for this calculation on Antofagasta is:
Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)
0.15 = US$2.3b ÷ (US$16b - US$1.2b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2022).
Thus, Antofagasta has an ROCE of 15%. That's a relatively normal return on capital, and it's around the 13% generated by the Metals and Mining industry.
Check out our latest analysis for Antofagasta
Above you can see how the current ROCE for Antofagasta 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.
The Trend Of ROCE
We like the trends that we're seeing from Antofagasta. Over the last five years, returns on capital employed have risen substantially to 15%. The amount of capital employed has increased too, by 22%. The increasing returns on a growing amount of capital is common amongst multi-baggers and that's why we're impressed.
What We Can Learn From Antofagasta's ROCE
To sum it up, Antofagasta has proven it can reinvest in the business and generate higher returns on that capital employed, which is terrific. Investors may not be impressed by the favorable underlying trends yet because over the last five years the stock has only returned 30% to shareholders. So with that in mind, we think the stock deserves further research.
One more thing to note, we've identified 1 warning sign with Antofagasta and understanding it should be part of your investment process.
If you want to search for solid companies with great earnings, check out this free list of companies with good balance sheets and impressive 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.
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