Return Trends At Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile (NYSE:SQM) Aren't Appealing

If we want to find a stock that could multiply over the long term, what are the underlying trends we should look for? Firstly, we'll want to see a proven return on capital employed (ROCE) that is increasing, and secondly, an expanding base of capital employed. If you see this, it typically means it's a company with a great business model and plenty of profitable reinvestment opportunities. Although, when we looked at Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile (NYSE:SQM), it didn't seem to tick all of these boxes.

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

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 Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile is:

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

0.084 = US$366m ÷ (US$4.8b - US$476m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2020).

Therefore, Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile has an ROCE of 8.4%. On its own, that's a low figure but it's around the 7.2% average generated by the Chemicals industry.

See our latest analysis for Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile

roce

Above you can see how the current ROCE for Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile compares to its prior returns on capital, but there's only so much you can tell from the past. If you're interested, you can view the analysts predictions in our free report on analyst forecasts for the company.

So How Is Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile's ROCE Trending?

There hasn't been much to report for Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile's returns and its level of capital employed because both metrics have been steady for the past five years. Businesses with these traits tend to be mature and steady operations because they're past the growth phase. So unless we see a substantial change at Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile in terms of ROCE and additional investments being made, we wouldn't hold our breath on it being a multi-bagger. On top of that you'll notice that Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile has been paying out a large portion (69%) of earnings in the form of dividends to shareholders. These mature businesses typically have reliable earnings and not many places to reinvest them, so the next best option is to put the earnings into shareholders pockets.

The Bottom Line On Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile's ROCE

We can conclude that in regards to Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile's returns on capital employed and the trends, there isn't much change to report on. Investors must think there's better things to come because the stock has knocked it out of the park, delivering a 197% gain to shareholders who have held over the last five years. Ultimately, if the underlying trends persist, we wouldn't hold our breath on it being a multi-bagger going forward.

One final note, you should learn about the 3 warning signs we've spotted with Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile (including 1 which is a bit unpleasant) .

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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