Will CLPS Incorporation (NASDAQ:CLPS) Multiply In Value Going Forward?
There are a few key trends to look for if we want to identify the next multi-bagger. Firstly, we'd want to identify a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and then alongside that, an ever-increasing base of capital employed. Ultimately, this demonstrates that it's a business that is reinvesting profits at increasing rates of return. However, after briefly looking over the numbers, we don't think CLPS Incorporation (NASDAQ:CLPS) has the makings of a multi-bagger going forward, but let's have a look at why that may be.
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. Analysts use this formula to calculate it for CLPS Incorporation:
Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)
0.044 = US$1.3m ÷ (US$45m - US$16m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2020).
Therefore, CLPS Incorporation has an ROCE of 4.4%. Ultimately, that's a low return and it under-performs the IT industry average of 9.8%.
Check out our latest analysis for CLPS Incorporation
Historical performance is a great place to start when researching a stock so above you can see the gauge for CLPS Incorporation's ROCE against it's prior returns. If you want to delve into the historical earnings, revenue and cash flow of CLPS Incorporation, check out these free graphs here.
How Are Returns Trending?
In terms of CLPS Incorporation's historical ROCE movements, the trend isn't fantastic. Around four years ago the returns on capital were 15%, but since then they've fallen to 4.4%. 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.
On a side note, CLPS Incorporation has done well to pay down its current liabilities to 36% of total assets. So we could link some of this to the decrease in ROCE. What's more, this can reduce some aspects of risk to the business because now the company's suppliers or short-term creditors are funding less of its operations. Since the business is basically funding more of its operations with it's own money, you could argue this has made the business less efficient at generating ROCE.
In Conclusion...
While returns have fallen for CLPS Incorporation in recent times, we're encouraged to see that sales are growing and that the business is reinvesting in its operations. And the stock has followed suit returning a meaningful 30% to shareholders over the last year. So while investors seem to be recognizing these promising trends, we would look further into this stock to make sure the other metrics justify the positive view.
If you want to know some of the risks facing CLPS Incorporation we've found 4 warning signs (1 can't be ignored!) that you should be aware of before investing here.
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.
This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. 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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