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Millicom International Cellular (NASDAQ:TIGO) Has Some Difficulty Using Its Capital Effectively

When it comes to investing, there are some useful financial metrics that can warn us when a business is potentially in trouble. More often than not, we'll see a declining return on capital employed (ROCE) and a declining amount of capital employed. This indicates to us that the business is not only shrinking the size of its net assets, but its returns are falling as well. So after we looked into Millicom International Cellular (NASDAQ:TIGO), the trends above didn't look too great.

What is Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)?

For those who don't know, ROCE is a measure of a company's yearly pre-tax profit (its return), relative to the capital employed in the business. To calculate this metric for Millicom International Cellular, this is the formula:

Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)

0.022 = US$206m ÷ (US$12b - US$2.4b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to March 2021).

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Thus, Millicom International Cellular has an ROCE of 2.2%. Even though it's in line with the industry average of 2.5%, it's still a low return by itself.

Check out our latest analysis for Millicom International Cellular

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roce

In the above chart we have measured Millicom International Cellular's prior ROCE against its prior performance, but the future is arguably more important. If you'd like, you can check out the forecasts from the analysts covering Millicom International Cellular here for free.

What Can We Tell From Millicom International Cellular's ROCE Trend?

We are a bit worried about the trend of returns on capital at Millicom International Cellular. About five years ago, returns on capital were 9.6%, however they're now substantially lower than that as we saw above. And on the capital employed front, the business is utilizing roughly the same amount of capital as it was back then. Since returns are falling and the business has the same amount of assets employed, this can suggest it's a mature business that hasn't had much growth in the last five years. If these trends continue, we wouldn't expect Millicom International Cellular to turn into a multi-bagger.

The Bottom Line On Millicom International Cellular's ROCE

In the end, the trend of lower returns on the same amount of capital isn't typically an indication that we're looking at a growth stock. It should come as no surprise then that the stock has fallen 21% over the last five years, so it looks like investors are recognizing these changes. That being the case, unless the underlying trends revert to a more positive trajectory, we'd consider looking elsewhere.

On a final note, we've found 1 warning sign for Millicom International Cellular that we think 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.

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. 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.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.