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Investors Could Be Concerned With Nu Skin Enterprises' (NYSE:NUS) Returns On Capital

If you're not sure where to start when looking for the next multi-bagger, there are a few key trends you should keep an eye out for. One common approach is to try and find a company with returns on capital employed (ROCE) that are increasing, in conjunction with a growing 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. Although, when we looked at Nu Skin Enterprises (NYSE:NUS), it didn't seem to tick all of these boxes.

What Is Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)?

For those that aren't sure what ROCE is, it measures the amount of pre-tax profits a company can generate from the capital employed in its business. The formula for this calculation on Nu Skin Enterprises is:

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

0.16 = US$248m ÷ (US$1.9b - US$384m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2022).

Therefore, Nu Skin Enterprises has an ROCE of 16%. In absolute terms, that's a pretty normal return, and it's somewhat close to the Personal Products industry average of 18%.

See our latest analysis for Nu Skin Enterprises

roce
roce

Above you can see how the current ROCE for Nu Skin Enterprises compares to its prior returns on capital, but there's only so much you can tell from the past. If you'd like, you can check out the forecasts from the analysts covering Nu Skin Enterprises here for free.

What The Trend Of ROCE Can Tell Us

In terms of Nu Skin Enterprises' historical ROCE movements, the trend isn't fantastic. Around five years ago the returns on capital were 23%, but since then they've fallen to 16%. And considering revenue has dropped while employing more capital, we'd be cautious. If this were to continue, you might be looking at a company that is trying to reinvest for growth but is actually losing market share since sales haven't increased.

The Bottom Line On Nu Skin Enterprises' ROCE

In summary, we're somewhat concerned by Nu Skin Enterprises' diminishing returns on increasing amounts of capital. Long term shareholders who've owned the stock over the last five years have experienced a 33% depreciation in their investment, so it appears the market might not like these trends either. With underlying trends that aren't great in these areas, we'd consider looking elsewhere.

If you want to continue researching Nu Skin Enterprises, you might be interested to know about the 2 warning signs that our analysis has discovered.

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.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.

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.

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