Yahoo Finance Here's What's Concerning About K-Bro Linen's (TSE:KBL) Returns On Capital
If we want to find a potential multi-bagger, often there are underlying trends that can provide clues. Firstly, we'd want to identify a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and then alongside that, an ever-increasing base of capital employed. Put simply, these types of businesses are compounding machines, meaning they are continually reinvesting their earnings at ever-higher rates of return. Having said that, from a first glance at K-Bro Linen (TSE:KBL) we aren't jumping out of our chairs at how returns are trending, but let's have a deeper look.
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. The formula for this calculation on K-Bro Linen is:
Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)
0.025 = CA$7.0m ÷ (CA$330m - CA$46m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2022).
Thus, K-Bro Linen has an ROCE of 2.5%. Ultimately, that's a low return and it under-performs the Commercial Services industry average of 7.6%.
Check out our latest analysis for K-Bro Linen
In the above chart we have measured K-Bro Linen'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 K-Bro Linen.
How Are Returns Trending?
When we looked at the ROCE trend at K-Bro Linen, we didn't gain much confidence. Around five years ago the returns on capital were 7.6%, but since then they've fallen to 2.5%. 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 Bottom Line On K-Bro Linen's ROCE
In summary, despite lower returns in the short term, we're encouraged to see that K-Bro Linen is reinvesting for growth and has higher sales as a result. However, total returns to shareholders over the last five years have been flat, which could indicate these growth trends potentially aren't accounted for yet by investors. As a result, we'd recommend researching this stock further to uncover what other fundamentals of the business can show us.
On a final note, we've found 3 warning signs for K-Bro Linen that we think you should be aware of.
While K-Bro Linen isn't earning the highest return, check out this free list of companies that are earning high returns on equity with solid balance sheets.
Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.
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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