Will the Promising Trends At Antares Pharma (NASDAQ:ATRS) Continue?
If we want to find a stock that could multiply over the long term, what are the underlying trends we should look for? 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. With that in mind, we've noticed some promising trends at Antares Pharma (NASDAQ:ATRS) so let's look a bit deeper.
Understanding 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. Analysts use this formula to calculate it for Antares Pharma:
Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)
0.12 = US$13m ÷ (US$156m - US$51m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2020).
So, Antares Pharma has an ROCE of 12%. On its own, that's a standard return, however it's much better than the 10.0% generated by the Medical Equipment industry.
See our latest analysis for Antares Pharma
Above you can see how the current ROCE for Antares Pharma 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.
What The Trend Of ROCE Can Tell Us
Antares Pharma has recently broken into profitability so their prior investments seem to be paying off. About five years ago the company was generating losses but things have turned around because it's now earning 12% on its capital. And unsurprisingly, like most companies trying to break into the black, Antares Pharma is utilizing 43% more capital than it was five years ago. This can tell us that the company has plenty of reinvestment opportunities that are able to generate higher returns.
For the record though, there was a noticeable increase in the company's current liabilities over the period, so we would attribute some of the ROCE growth to that. Effectively this means that suppliers or short-term creditors are now funding 32% of the business, which is more than it was five years ago. It's worth keeping an eye on this because as the percentage of current liabilities to total assets increases, some aspects of risk also increase.
The Bottom Line On Antares Pharma's ROCE
Long story short, we're delighted to see that Antares Pharma's reinvestment activities have paid off and the company is now profitable. Since the stock has returned a staggering 136% to shareholders over the last five years, it looks like investors are recognizing these changes. With that being said, we still think the promising fundamentals mean the company deserves some further due diligence.
Antares Pharma does have some risks though, and we've spotted 2 warning signs for Antares Pharma that you might be interested in.
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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