Here's What To Make Of Nomad Foods' (NYSE:NOMD) Decelerating Rates Of Return

To find a multi-bagger stock, what are the underlying trends we should look for in a business? Amongst other things, we'll want to see two things; firstly, a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and secondly, an expansion in the company's amount of capital employed. If you see this, it typically means it's a company with a great business model and plenty of profitable reinvestment opportunities. However, after investigating Nomad Foods (NYSE:NOMD), we don't think it's current trends fit the mold of a multi-bagger.

What Is Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)?

Just to clarify if you're unsure, ROCE is a metric for evaluating how much pre-tax income (in percentage terms) a company earns on the capital invested in its business. To calculate this metric for Nomad Foods, this is the formula:

Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)

0.079 = €427m ÷ (€6.4b - €961m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2023).

So, Nomad Foods has an ROCE of 7.9%. In absolute terms, that's a low return and it also under-performs the Food industry average of 11%.

View our latest analysis for Nomad Foods

roce

Above you can see how the current ROCE for Nomad Foods compares to its prior returns on capital, but there's only so much you can tell from the past. If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free report for Nomad Foods.

How Are Returns Trending?

In terms of Nomad Foods' historical ROCE trend, it doesn't exactly demand attention. Over the past five years, ROCE has remained relatively flat at around 7.9% and the business has deployed 24% more capital into its operations. This poor ROCE doesn't inspire confidence right now, and with the increase in capital employed, it's evident that the business isn't deploying the funds into high return investments.

Our Take On Nomad Foods' ROCE

In summary, Nomad Foods has simply been reinvesting capital and generating the same low rate of return as before. And in the last five years, the stock has given away 23% so the market doesn't look too hopeful on these trends strengthening any time soon. All in all, the inherent trends aren't typical of multi-baggers, so if that's what you're after, we think you might have more luck elsewhere.

If you'd like to know more about Nomad Foods, we've spotted 2 warning signs, and 1 of them doesn't sit too well with us.

While Nomad Foods 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.