Vectrus (NYSE:VEC) Might Be Having Difficulty Using Its Capital Effectively
What are the early trends we should look for to identify a stock that could multiply in value over the long term? One common approach is to try and find a company with returns on capital employed (ROCE) that are increasing, in conjunction with a growing amount of capital employed. Basically this means that a company has profitable initiatives that it can continue to reinvest in, which is a trait of a compounding machine. However, after briefly looking over the numbers, we don't think Vectrus (NYSE:VEC) has the makings of a multi-bagger going forward, but let's have a look at why that may be.
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. The formula for this calculation on Vectrus is:
Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)
0.13 = US$70m ÷ (US$895m - US$342m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to October 2021).
Therefore, Vectrus has an ROCE of 13%. In absolute terms, that's a satisfactory return, but compared to the Aerospace & Defense industry average of 9.3% it's much better.
See our latest analysis for Vectrus
In the above chart we have measured Vectrus' prior ROCE against its prior performance, but the future is arguably more important. If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free report for Vectrus.
What The Trend Of ROCE Can Tell Us
On the surface, the trend of ROCE at Vectrus doesn't inspire confidence. To be more specific, ROCE has fallen from 17% over the last five years. Although, given both revenue and the amount of assets employed in the business have increased, it could suggest the company is investing in growth, and the extra capital has led to a short-term reduction in ROCE. And if the increased capital generates additional returns, the business, and thus shareholders, will benefit in the long run.
The Key Takeaway
In summary, despite lower returns in the short term, we're encouraged to see that Vectrus is reinvesting for growth and has higher sales as a result. And long term investors must be optimistic going forward because the stock has returned a huge 114% to shareholders in the last five years. So should these growth trends continue, we'd be optimistic on the stock going forward.
If you're still interested in Vectrus it's worth checking out our FREE intrinsic value approximation to see if it's trading at an attractive price in other respects.
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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