Schaffer (ASX:SFC) Is Experiencing Growth In Returns On Capital
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. Ideally, a business will show two trends; firstly a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and secondly, an increasing amount of capital employed. Ultimately, this demonstrates that it's a business that is reinvesting profits at increasing rates of return. So on that note, Schaffer (ASX:SFC) looks quite promising in regards to its trends of return on capital.
What is Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)?
Just to clarify if you're unsure, ROCE is a metric for evaluating how much pre-tax income (in percentage terms) a company earns on the capital invested in its business. Analysts use this formula to calculate it for Schaffer:
Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)
0.16 = AU$35m ÷ (AU$269m - AU$53m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2020).
Therefore, Schaffer has an ROCE of 16%. That's a relatively normal return on capital, and it's around the 14% generated by the Auto Components industry.
See our latest analysis for Schaffer
Historical performance is a great place to start when researching a stock so above you can see the gauge for Schaffer's ROCE against it's prior returns. If you'd like to look at how Schaffer has performed in the past in other metrics, you can view this free graph of past earnings, revenue and cash flow.
What Does the ROCE Trend For Schaffer Tell Us?
We like the trends that we're seeing from Schaffer. Over the last five years, returns on capital employed have risen substantially to 16%. The company is effectively making more money per dollar of capital used, and it's worth noting that the amount of capital has increased too, by 57%. So we're very much inspired by what we're seeing at Schaffer thanks to its ability to profitably reinvest capital.
The Bottom Line On Schaffer's ROCE
A company that is growing its returns on capital and can consistently reinvest in itself is a highly sought after trait, and that's what Schaffer has. And a remarkable 421% total return over the last five years tells us that investors are expecting more good things to come in the future. Therefore, we think it would be worth your time to check if these trends are going to continue.
On a final note, we've found 2 warning signs for Schaffer that we think you should be aware of.
While Schaffer isn't earning the highest return, check out this free list of companies that are earning high returns on equity with solid balance sheets.
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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