Yahoo Finance Investors Met With Slowing Returns on Capital At ATCO (TSE:ACO.X)
If you're not sure where to start when looking for the next multi-bagger, there are a few key trends you should keep an eye out for. Ideally, a business will show two trends; firstly a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and secondly, an increasing 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. Having said that, from a first glance at ATCO (TSE:ACO.X) 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 ATCO is:
Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)
0.057 = CA$1.3b ÷ (CA$23b - CA$1.5b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2022).
Therefore, ATCO has an ROCE of 5.7%. In absolute terms, that's a low return, but it's much better than the Integrated Utilities industry average of 4.7%.
Check out our latest analysis for ATCO
Above you can see how the current ROCE for ATCO compares to its prior returns on capital, but there's only so much you can tell from the past. If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free report for ATCO.
The Trend Of ROCE
There hasn't been much to report for ATCO's returns and its level of capital employed because both metrics have been steady for the past five years. This tells us the company isn't reinvesting in itself, so it's plausible that it's past the growth phase. So don't be surprised if ATCO doesn't end up being a multi-bagger in a few years time. With fewer investment opportunities, it makes sense that ATCO has been paying out a decent 54% of its earnings to shareholders. Given the business isn't reinvesting in itself, it makes sense to distribute a portion of earnings among shareholders.
The Bottom Line
We can conclude that in regards to ATCO's returns on capital employed and the trends, there isn't much change to report on. Unsurprisingly, the stock has only gained 24% over the last five years, which potentially indicates that investors are accounting for this going forward. As a result, if you're hunting for a multi-bagger, we think you'd have more luck elsewhere.
One more thing to note, we've identified 2 warning signs with ATCO and understanding them should be part of your investment process.
While ATCO may not currently earn the highest returns, we've compiled a list of companies that currently earn more than 25% return on equity. Check out this free list here.
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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