Returns On Capital At Funko (NASDAQ:FNKO) Paint A Concerning Picture

What trends should we look for it we want to identify stocks that can multiply in value over the long term? In a perfect world, we'd like to see a company investing more capital into its business and ideally the returns earned from that capital are also increasing. This shows us that it's a compounding machine, able to continually reinvest its earnings back into the business and generate higher returns. Although, when we looked at Funko (NASDAQ:FNKO), 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. To calculate this metric for Funko, this is the formula:

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

0.11 = US$80m ÷ (US$1.1b - US$383m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2022).

So, Funko has an ROCE of 11%. In absolute terms, that's a pretty standard return but compared to the Retail Distributors industry average it falls behind.

See our latest analysis for Funko

roce

Above you can see how the current ROCE for Funko 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.

What Does the ROCE Trend For Funko Tell Us?

On the surface, the trend of ROCE at Funko doesn't inspire confidence. Over the last five years, returns on capital have decreased to 11% from 13% five years ago. However, given capital employed and revenue have both increased it appears that the business is currently pursuing growth, at the consequence of short term returns. If these investments prove successful, this can bode very well for long term stock performance.

The Bottom Line

In summary, despite lower returns in the short term, we're encouraged to see that Funko is reinvesting for growth and has higher sales as a result. These trends are starting to be recognized by investors since the stock has delivered a 2.9% gain to shareholders who've held over the last three years. So this stock may still be an appealing investment opportunity, if other fundamentals prove to be sound.

On a final note, we've found 2 warning signs for Funko that we think you should be aware of.

While Funko isn't earning the highest return, check out this free list of companies that are earning high returns on equity with solid balance sheets.

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

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. 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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