Yahoo Finance DRDGOLD (NYSE:DRD) Is Investing Its Capital With Increasing Efficiency
What trends should we look for it we want to identify stocks that can multiply in value over the long term? 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. And in light of that, the trends we're seeing at DRDGOLD's (NYSE:DRD) look very promising so lets take a look.
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 DRDGOLD is:
Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)
0.31 = R1.8b ÷ (R6.3b - R532m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2021).
Thus, DRDGOLD has an ROCE of 31%. That's a fantastic return and not only that, it outpaces the average of 12% earned by companies in a similar industry.
View our latest analysis for DRDGOLD
Above you can see how the current ROCE for DRDGOLD compares to its prior returns on capital, but there's only so much you can tell from the past. If you'd like, you can check out the forecasts from the analysts covering DRDGOLD here for free.
What The Trend Of ROCE Can Tell Us
Investors would be pleased with what's happening at DRDGOLD. Over the last five years, returns on capital employed have risen substantially to 31%. 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 175%. This can indicate that there's plenty of opportunities to invest capital internally and at ever higher rates, a combination that's common among multi-baggers.
The Bottom Line
To sum it up, DRDGOLD has proven it can reinvest in the business and generate higher returns on that capital employed, which is terrific. Since the stock has returned a staggering 108% to shareholders over the last five years, it looks like investors are recognizing these changes. 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 DRDGOLD that we think you should be aware of.
If you want to search for more stocks that have been earning high returns, check out this free list of stocks with solid balance sheets that are also earning high 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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