Returns On Capital Are Showing Encouraging Signs At Epsilon Energy (NASDAQ:EPSN)
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. Typically, we'll want to notice a trend of growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and alongside that, an expanding base of capital employed. Put simply, these types of businesses are compounding machines, meaning they are continually reinvesting their earnings at ever-higher rates of return. So when we looked at Epsilon Energy (NASDAQ:EPSN) and its trend of ROCE, we really liked what we saw.
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. To calculate this metric for Epsilon Energy, this is the formula:
Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)
0.058 = US$4.9m ÷ (US$91m - US$6.7m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2021).
So, Epsilon Energy has an ROCE of 5.8%. On its own, that's a low figure but it's around the 7.1% average generated by the Oil and Gas industry.
Check out our latest analysis for Epsilon Energy
While the past is not representative of the future, it can be helpful to know how a company has performed historically, which is why we have this chart above. If you want to delve into the historical earnings, revenue and cash flow of Epsilon Energy, check out these free graphs here.
What Can We Tell From Epsilon Energy's ROCE Trend?
Shareholders will be relieved that Epsilon Energy has broken into profitability. While the business was unprofitable in the past, it's now turned things around and is earning 5.8% on its capital. While returns have increased, the amount of capital employed by Epsilon Energy has remained flat over the period. With no noticeable increase in capital employed, it's worth knowing what the company plans on doing going forward in regards to reinvesting and growing the business. So if you're looking for high growth, you'll want to see a business's capital employed also increasing.
In another part of our analysis, we noticed that the company's ratio of current liabilities to total assets decreased to 7.3%, which broadly means the business is relying less on its suppliers or short-term creditors to fund its operations. So this improvement in ROCE has come from the business' underlying economics, which is great to see.
In Conclusion...
To bring it all together, Epsilon Energy has done well to increase the returns it's generating from its capital employed. Considering the stock has delivered 30% to its stockholders over the last five years, it may be fair to think that investors aren't fully aware of the promising trends yet. So exploring more about this stock could uncover a good opportunity, if the valuation and other metrics stack up.
On the other side of ROCE, we have to consider valuation. That's why we have a FREE intrinsic value estimation on our platform that is definitely worth checking out.
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. 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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