Here's What To Make Of Packaging Corporation of America's (NYSE:PKG) Returns On Capital
If we want to find a stock that could multiply over the long term, what are the underlying trends we should look for? Typically, we'll want to notice a trend of growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and alongside that, an expanding base of capital employed. This shows us that it's a compounding machine, able to continually reinvest its earnings back into the business and generate higher returns. With that in mind, the ROCE of Packaging Corporation of America (NYSE:PKG) looks decent, right now, so lets see what the trend of returns can tell us.
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 Packaging Corporation of America, this is the formula:
Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)
0.14 = US$927m ÷ (US$7.3b - US$684m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2020).
Thus, Packaging Corporation of America has an ROCE of 14%. On its own, that's a standard return, however it's much better than the 9.5% generated by the Packaging industry.
See our latest analysis for Packaging Corporation of America
In the above chart we have a measured Packaging Corporation of America's prior ROCE against its prior performance, but the future is arguably more important. If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free report for Packaging Corporation of America.
So How Is Packaging Corporation of America's ROCE Trending?
While the returns on capital are good, they haven't moved much. The company has consistently earned 14% for the last five years, and the capital employed within the business has risen 37% in that time. Since 14% is a moderate ROCE though, it's good to see a business can continue to reinvest at these decent rates of return. Over long periods of time, returns like these might not be too exciting, but with consistency they can pay off in terms of share price returns.
The Bottom Line
In the end, Packaging Corporation of America has proven its ability to adequately reinvest capital at good rates of return. And the stock has followed suit returning a meaningful 60% to shareholders over the last five years. So while investors seem to be recognizing these promising trends, we still believe the stock deserves further research.
One more thing, we've spotted 2 warning signs facing Packaging Corporation of America that you might find interesting.
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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