Yahoo Finance Will the Promising Trends At MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) Continue?
What trends should we look for it we want to identify stocks that can multiply in value over the long term? Typically, we'll want to notice a trend of growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and alongside that, an expanding base 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. With that in mind, we've noticed some promising trends at MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) so let's look a bit deeper.
Return On Capital Employed (ROCE): What is it?
If you haven't worked with ROCE before, it measures the 'return' (pre-tax profit) a company generates from capital employed in its business. Analysts use this formula to calculate it for MDU Resources Group:
Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)
0.075 = US$515m ÷ (US$7.9b - US$1b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2020).
Therefore, MDU Resources Group has an ROCE of 7.5%. On its own that's a low return, but compared to the average of 5.3% generated by the Integrated Utilities industry, it's much better.
View our latest analysis for MDU Resources Group
In the above chart we have measured MDU Resources Group'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 MDU Resources Group here for free.
What The Trend Of ROCE Can Tell Us
MDU Resources Group's ROCE growth is quite impressive. Looking at the data, we can see that even though capital employed in the business has remained relatively flat, the ROCE generated has risen by 52% over the last five years. Basically the business is generating higher returns from the same amount of capital and that is proof that there are improvements in the company's efficiencies. On that front, things are looking good so it's worth exploring what management has said about growth plans going forward.
Our Take On MDU Resources Group's ROCE
To bring it all together, MDU Resources Group has done well to increase the returns it's generating from its capital employed. Investors may not be impressed by the favorable underlying trends yet because over the last five years the stock has only returned 39% to shareholders. So with that in mind, we think the stock deserves further research.
On a separate note, we've found 1 warning sign for MDU Resources Group you'll probably want to know about.
For those who like to invest in solid companies, check out this free list of companies with solid balance sheets and high 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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