RELX (LON:REL) Looks To Prolong Its Impressive Returns
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. Ultimately, this demonstrates that it's a business that is reinvesting profits at increasing rates of return. With that in mind, the ROCE of RELX (LON:REL) looks attractive right now, so lets see what the trend of returns can tell us.
Understanding 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 RELX is:
Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)
0.20 = UK£2.1b ÷ (UK£15b - UK£4.7b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2022).
Therefore, RELX has an ROCE of 20%. That's a fantastic return and not only that, it outpaces the average of 15% earned by companies in a similar industry.
View our latest analysis for RELX
Above you can see how the current ROCE for RELX 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 RELX here for free.
The Trend Of ROCE
In terms of RELX's history of ROCE, it's quite impressive. The company has employed 31% more capital in the last five years, and the returns on that capital have remained stable at 20%. Returns like this are the envy of most businesses and given it has repeatedly reinvested at these rates, that's even better. If RELX can keep this up, we'd be very optimistic about its future.
What We Can Learn From RELX's ROCE
In summary, we're delighted to see that RELX has been compounding returns by reinvesting at consistently high rates of return, as these are common traits of a multi-bagger. Therefore it's no surprise that shareholders have earned a respectable 49% return if they held over the last five years. So even though the stock might be more "expensive" than it was before, we think the strong fundamentals warrant this stock for further research.
RELX does have some risks though, and we've spotted 1 warning sign for RELX that you might be interested in.
RELX is not the only stock earning high returns. If you'd like to see more, check out our free list of companies earning high returns on equity with solid fundamentals.
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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