Virco Mfg (NASDAQ:VIRC) Is Doing The Right Things To Multiply Its Share Price
Did you know there are some financial metrics that can provide clues of a potential multi-bagger? Ideally, a business will show two trends; firstly a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and secondly, an increasing amount of capital employed. If you see this, it typically means it's a company with a great business model and plenty of profitable reinvestment opportunities. With that in mind, we've noticed some promising trends at Virco Mfg (NASDAQ:VIRC) so let's look a bit deeper.
Return On Capital Employed (ROCE): What Is It?
For those that aren't sure what ROCE is, it measures the amount of pre-tax profits a company can generate from the capital employed in its business. The formula for this calculation on Virco Mfg is:
Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)
0.095 = US$9.6m ÷ (US$144m - US$43m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to October 2022).
Thus, Virco Mfg has an ROCE of 9.5%. On its own that's a low return on capital but it's in line with the industry's average returns of 9.7%.
View our latest analysis for Virco Mfg
In the above chart we have measured Virco Mfg's 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 Virco Mfg.
So How Is Virco Mfg's ROCE Trending?
Virco Mfg's ROCE growth is quite impressive. More specifically, while the company has kept capital employed relatively flat over the last five years, the ROCE has climbed 104% in that same time. So our take on this is that the business has increased efficiencies to generate these higher returns, all the while not needing to make any additional investments. The company is doing well in that sense, and it's worth investigating what the management team has planned for long term growth prospects.
Our Take On Virco Mfg's ROCE
In summary, we're delighted to see that Virco Mfg has been able to increase efficiencies and earn higher rates of return on the same amount of capital. Since the total return from the stock has been almost flat over the last five years, there might be an opportunity here if the valuation looks good. With that in mind, we believe the promising trends warrant this stock for further investigation.
On a separate note, we've found 1 warning sign for Virco Mfg 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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