Yahoo Finance Do You Know About Restaurant Brands International Inc.’s (NYSE:QSR) ROCE?
Today we are going to look at Restaurant Brands International Inc. (NYSE:QSR) to see whether it might be an attractive investment prospect. In particular, we'll consider its Return On Capital Employed (ROCE), as that can give us insight into how profitably the company is able to employ capital in its business.
First, we'll go over how we calculate ROCE. Next, we'll compare it to others in its industry. Then we'll determine how its current liabilities are affecting its ROCE.
Return On Capital Employed (ROCE): What is it?
ROCE is a metric for evaluating how much pre-tax income (in percentage terms) a company earns on the capital invested in its business. All else being equal, a better business will have a higher ROCE. In brief, it is a useful tool, but it is not without drawbacks. Renowned investment researcher Michael Mauboussin has suggested that a high ROCE can indicate that 'one dollar invested in the company generates value of more than one dollar'.
So, How Do We Calculate ROCE?
Analysts use this formula to calculate return on capital employed:
Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)
Or for Restaurant Brands International:
0.099 = US$2.0b ÷ (US$22b - US$2.2b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2019.)
Therefore, Restaurant Brands International has an ROCE of 9.9%.
View our latest analysis for Restaurant Brands International
Is Restaurant Brands International's ROCE Good?
ROCE is commonly used for comparing the performance of similar businesses. Using our data, Restaurant Brands International's ROCE appears to be around the 8.5% average of the Hospitality industry. Separate from how Restaurant Brands International stacks up against its industry, its ROCE in absolute terms is mediocre; relative to the returns on government bonds. It is possible that there are more rewarding investments out there.
The image below shows how Restaurant Brands International's ROCE compares to its industry, and you can click it to see more detail on its past growth.
When considering ROCE, bear in mind that it reflects the past and does not necessarily predict the future. Companies in cyclical industries can be difficult to understand using ROCE, as returns typically look high during boom times, and low during busts. ROCE is only a point-in-time measure. Since the future is so important for investors, you should check out our free report on analyst forecasts for Restaurant Brands International.
Do Restaurant Brands International's Current Liabilities Skew Its ROCE?
Liabilities, such as supplier bills and bank overdrafts, are referred to as current liabilities if they need to be paid within 12 months. Due to the way ROCE is calculated, a high level of current liabilities makes a company look as though it has less capital employed, and thus can (sometimes unfairly) boost the ROCE. To counteract this, we check if a company has high current liabilities, relative to its total assets.
Restaurant Brands International has total assets of US$22b and current liabilities of US$2.2b. As a result, its current liabilities are equal to approximately 9.8% of its total assets. With low levels of current liabilities, at least Restaurant Brands International's mediocre ROCE is not unduly boosted.
What We Can Learn From Restaurant Brands International's ROCE
Based on this information, Restaurant Brands International appears to be a mediocre business. But note: make sure you look for a great company, not just the first idea you come across. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with strong recent earnings growth (and a P/E ratio below 20).
I will like Restaurant Brands International better if I see some big insider buys. While we wait, check out this free list of growing companies with considerable, recent, insider buying.
We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.
If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.
