Wilhelmina International's (NASDAQ:WHLM) Returns On Capital Are Heading Higher
Did you know there are some financial metrics that can provide clues of a potential multi-bagger? Firstly, we'd want to identify a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and then alongside that, an ever-increasing base 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. So on that note, Wilhelmina International (NASDAQ:WHLM) 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. To calculate this metric for Wilhelmina International, this is the formula:
Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)
0.12 = US$2.9m ÷ (US$37m - US$12m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to March 2022).
So, Wilhelmina International has an ROCE of 12%. On its own, that's a standard return, however it's much better than the 8.5% generated by the Commercial Services industry.
View our latest analysis for Wilhelmina International
Historical performance is a great place to start when researching a stock so above you can see the gauge for Wilhelmina International's ROCE against it's prior returns. If you're interested in investigating Wilhelmina International's past further, check out this free graph of past earnings, revenue and cash flow.
What The Trend Of ROCE Can Tell Us
Wilhelmina International's ROCE growth is quite impressive. Looking at the data, we can see that even though capital employed in the business has remained relatively flat, the ROCE generated has risen by 236% over the last five years. Basically the business is generating higher returns from the same amount of capital and that is proof that there are improvements in the company's efficiencies. It's worth looking deeper into this though because while it's great that the business is more efficient, it might also mean that going forward the areas to invest internally for the organic growth are lacking.
In Conclusion...
To sum it up, Wilhelmina International is collecting higher returns from the same amount of capital, and that's impressive. Astute investors may have an opportunity here because the stock has declined 47% in the last five years. With that in mind, we believe the promising trends warrant this stock for further investigation.
If you'd like to know about the risks facing Wilhelmina International, we've discovered 1 warning sign that you should be aware of.
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.
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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.
