Dorian LPG Ltd. (NYSE:LPG) Earns Among The Best Returns In Its Industry
Today we'll evaluate Dorian LPG Ltd. (NYSE:LPG) to determine whether it could have potential as an investment idea. Specifically, we're going to calculate its Return On Capital Employed (ROCE), in the hopes of getting some insight into the business.
First of all, we'll work out how to calculate ROCE. Second, we'll look at its ROCE compared to similar companies. And finally, we'll look at how its current liabilities are impacting its ROCE.
Return On Capital Employed (ROCE): What is it?
ROCE is a metric for evaluating how much pre-tax income (in percentage terms) a company earns on the capital invested in its business. In general, businesses with a higher ROCE are usually better quality. Overall, it is a valuable metric that has its flaws. Author Edwin Whiting says to be careful when comparing the ROCE of different businesses, since 'No two businesses are exactly alike.
How Do You Calculate Return On Capital Employed?
The formula for calculating the return on capital employed is:
Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)
Or for DorianG:
0.10 = US$161m ÷ (US$1.7b - US$86m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to March 2020.)
Therefore, DorianG has an ROCE of 10%.
Check out our latest analysis for DorianG
Does DorianG Have A Good ROCE?
When making comparisons between similar businesses, investors may find ROCE useful. In our analysis, DorianG's ROCE is meaningfully higher than the 7.7% average in the Oil and Gas industry. We consider this a positive sign, because it suggests it uses capital more efficiently than similar companies. Independently of how DorianG compares to its industry, its ROCE in absolute terms appears decent, and the company may be worthy of closer investigation.
Our data shows that DorianG currently has an ROCE of 10%, compared to its ROCE of 0.8% 3 years ago. This makes us think the business might be improving. The image below shows how DorianG's ROCE compares to its industry, and you can click it to see more detail on its past growth.
When considering ROCE, bear in mind that it reflects the past and does not necessarily predict the future. ROCE can be misleading for companies in cyclical industries, with returns looking impressive during the boom times, but very weak during the busts. This is because ROCE only looks at one year, instead of considering returns across a whole cycle. Given the industry it operates in, DorianG could be considered cyclical. Future performance is what matters, and you can see analyst predictions in our free report on analyst forecasts for the company.
How DorianG's Current Liabilities Impact Its 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.
DorianG has current liabilities of US$86m and total assets of US$1.7b. As a result, its current liabilities are equal to approximately 5.2% of its total assets. With low current liabilities, DorianG's decent ROCE looks that much more respectable.
What We Can Learn From DorianG's ROCE
If DorianG can continue reinvesting in its business, it could be an attractive prospect. There might be better investments than DorianG out there, but you will have to work hard to find them . These promising businesses with rapidly growing earnings might be right up your alley.
If you are like me, then you will not want to miss this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying.
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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. Thank you for reading.
