Returns At Cyanotech (NASDAQ:CYAN) Are On The Way Up
There are a few key trends to look for if we want to identify the next multi-bagger. In a perfect world, we'd like to see a company investing more capital into its business and ideally the returns earned from that capital are also increasing. Basically this means that a company has profitable initiatives that it can continue to reinvest in, which is a trait of a compounding machine. So on that note, Cyanotech (NASDAQ:CYAN) looks quite promising in regards to its trends of return on capital.
What Is 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 Cyanotech, this is the formula:
Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)
0.057 = US$1.5m ÷ (US$31m - US$4.1m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2022).
So, Cyanotech has an ROCE of 5.7%. In absolute terms, that's a low return and it also under-performs the Personal Products industry average of 18%.
View our latest analysis for Cyanotech
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 Cyanotech, check out these free graphs here.
So How Is Cyanotech's ROCE Trending?
Cyanotech is showing promise given that its ROCE is trending up and to the right. The figures show that over the last five years, ROCE has grown 143% whilst employing roughly the same amount of capital. So it's likely that the business is now reaping the full benefits of its past investments, since the capital employed hasn't changed considerably. On that front, things are looking good so it's worth exploring what management has said about growth plans going forward.
Our Take On Cyanotech's ROCE
In summary, we're delighted to see that Cyanotech has been able to increase efficiencies and earn higher rates of return on the same amount of capital. Given the stock has declined 51% in the last five years, this could be a good investment if the valuation and other metrics are also appealing. That being the case, research into the company's current valuation metrics and future prospects seems fitting.
On a separate note, we've found 1 warning sign for Cyanotech you'll probably want to know about.
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.
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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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