Is Molson Coors Beverage (NYSE:TAP) A Future Multi-bagger?

If you're looking for a multi-bagger, there's a few things to keep an eye out for. 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. Speaking of which, we noticed some great changes in Molson Coors Beverage's (NYSE:TAP) returns on capital, so let's have a look.

Return On Capital Employed (ROCE): What is it?

For those that aren't sure what ROCE is, it measures the amount of pre-tax profits a company can generate from the capital employed in its business. Analysts use this formula to calculate it for Molson Coors Beverage:

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

0.058 = US$1.4b ÷ (US$27b - US$3.9b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2020).

So, Molson Coors Beverage has an ROCE of 5.8%. In absolute terms, that's a low return and it also under-performs the Beverage industry average of 14%.

View our latest analysis for Molson Coors Beverage

roce

Above you can see how the current ROCE for Molson Coors Beverage 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 Molson Coors Beverage here for free.

So How Is Molson Coors Beverage's ROCE Trending?

We're glad to see that ROCE is heading in the right direction, even if it is still low at the moment. Over the last five years, returns on capital employed have risen substantially to 5.8%. Basically the business is earning more per dollar of capital invested and in addition to that, 111% more capital is being employed now too. The increasing returns on a growing amount of capital is common amongst multi-baggers and that's why we're impressed.

The Bottom Line

To sum it up, Molson Coors Beverage has proven it can reinvest in the business and generate higher returns on that capital employed, which is terrific. Given the stock has declined 44% in the last five years, this could be a good investment if the valuation and other metrics are also appealing. With that in mind, we believe the promising trends warrant this stock for further investigation.

One more thing to note, we've identified 1 warning sign with Molson Coors Beverage and understanding this should be part of your investment process.

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.

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