Here's What To Make Of Thermon Group Holdings' (NYSE:THR) Returns On Capital
What are the early trends we should look for to identify a stock that could multiply in value over the long term? Firstly, we'd want to identify a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and then alongside that, an ever-increasing base 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. In light of that, when we looked at Thermon Group Holdings (NYSE:THR) and its ROCE trend, we weren't exactly thrilled.
What is 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 Thermon Group Holdings is:
Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)
0.036 = US$21m ÷ (US$627m - US$56m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2020).
Thus, Thermon Group Holdings has an ROCE of 3.6%. In absolute terms, that's a low return and it also under-performs the Electrical industry average of 8.3%.
View our latest analysis for Thermon Group Holdings
Above you can see how the current ROCE for Thermon Group Holdings 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.
So How Is Thermon Group Holdings' ROCE Trending?
On the surface, the trend of ROCE at Thermon Group Holdings doesn't inspire confidence. To be more specific, ROCE has fallen from 14% over the last five years. Given the business is employing more capital while revenue has slipped, this is a bit concerning. This could mean that the business is losing its competitive advantage or market share, because while more money is being put into ventures, it's actually producing a lower return - "less bang for their buck" per se.
What We Can Learn From Thermon Group Holdings' ROCE
In summary, we're somewhat concerned by Thermon Group Holdings' diminishing returns on increasing amounts of capital. And, the stock has remained flat over the last five years, so investors don't seem too impressed either. With underlying trends that aren't great in these areas, we'd consider looking elsewhere.
Thermon Group Holdings does come with some risks though, we found 2 warning signs in our investment analysis, and 1 of those is a bit unpleasant...
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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