Investors Could Be Concerned With Caesarstone's (NASDAQ:CSTE) Returns On Capital
Finding a business that has the potential to grow substantially is not easy, but it is possible if we look at a few key financial metrics. Firstly, we'd want to identify a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and then alongside that, an ever-increasing base of capital employed. Basically this means that a company has profitable initiatives that it can continue to reinvest in, which is a trait of a compounding machine. In light of that, when we looked at Caesarstone (NASDAQ:CSTE) and its ROCE trend, we weren't exactly thrilled.
Return On Capital Employed (ROCE): What is it?
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 Caesarstone is:
Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)
0.053 = US$35m ÷ (US$810m - US$140m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to March 2021).
Therefore, Caesarstone has an ROCE of 5.3%. In absolute terms, that's a low return and it also under-performs the Building industry average of 13%.
Check out our latest analysis for Caesarstone
In the above chart we have measured Caesarstone's prior ROCE against its prior performance, but the future is arguably more important. If you're interested, you can view the analysts predictions in our free report on analyst forecasts for the company.
The Trend Of ROCE
On the surface, the trend of ROCE at Caesarstone doesn't inspire confidence. To be more specific, ROCE has fallen from 21% over the last five years. However it looks like Caesarstone might be reinvesting for long term growth because while capital employed has increased, the company's sales haven't changed much in the last 12 months. It may take some time before the company starts to see any change in earnings from these investments.
In Conclusion...
Bringing it all together, while we're somewhat encouraged by Caesarstone's reinvestment in its own business, we're aware that returns are shrinking. And in the last five years, the stock has given away 52% 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.
One more thing: We've identified 3 warning signs with Caesarstone (at least 1 which makes us a bit uncomfortable) , and understanding these would certainly be useful.
For those who like to invest in solid companies, check out this free list of companies with solid balance sheets and high 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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