Yahoo Finance Do Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.’s (NYSE:RGR) Returns On Capital Employed Make The Cut?
Today we are going to look at Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE:RGR) to see whether it might be an attractive investment prospect. To be precise, we'll consider its Return On Capital Employed (ROCE), as that will inform our view of the quality of the business.
First of all, we'll work out how to calculate ROCE. Second, we'll look at its ROCE compared to similar companies. Last but not least, we'll look at what impact its current liabilities have on its ROCE.
What is Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)?
ROCE is a measure of a company's yearly pre-tax profit (its return), relative to the capital employed in the business. All else being equal, a better business will have a higher ROCE. Overall, it is a valuable metric that has its flaws. Author Edwin Whiting says to be careful when comparing the ROCE of different businesses, since 'No two businesses are exactly alike.
So, How Do We Calculate ROCE?
Analysts use this formula to calculate return on capital employed:
Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)
Or for Sturm Ruger:
0.14 = US$39m ÷ (US$349m - US$61m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2019.)
Therefore, Sturm Ruger has an ROCE of 14%.
Check out our latest analysis for Sturm Ruger
Is Sturm Ruger's ROCE Good?
ROCE is commonly used for comparing the performance of similar businesses. Using our data, Sturm Ruger's ROCE appears to be around the 17% average of the Leisure industry. Separate from Sturm Ruger's performance relative to its industry, its ROCE in absolute terms looks satisfactory, and it may be worth researching in more depth.
We can see that, Sturm Ruger currently has an ROCE of 14%, less than the 51% it reported 3 years ago. This makes us wonder if the business is facing new challenges. You can see in the image below how Sturm Ruger's ROCE compares to its industry. Click to see more on past growth.
It is important to remember that ROCE shows past performance, and is not necessarily predictive. Companies in cyclical industries can be difficult to understand using ROCE, as returns typically look high during boom times, and low during busts. ROCE is, after all, simply a snap shot of a single year. What happens in the future is pretty important for investors, so we have prepared a free report on analyst forecasts for Sturm Ruger.
How Sturm Ruger's Current Liabilities Impact Its ROCE
Current liabilities are short term bills and invoices that need to be paid in 12 months or less. Due to the way the ROCE equation works, having large bills due in the near term can make it look as though a company has less capital employed, and thus a higher ROCE than usual. To counteract this, we check if a company has high current liabilities, relative to its total assets.
Sturm Ruger has total assets of US$349m and current liabilities of US$61m. Therefore its current liabilities are equivalent to approximately 18% of its total assets. Low current liabilities are not boosting the ROCE too much.
What We Can Learn From Sturm Ruger's ROCE
With that in mind, Sturm Ruger's ROCE appears pretty good. Sturm Ruger shapes up well under this analysis, but it is far from the only business delivering excellent numbers . You might also want to check this free collection of companies delivering excellent earnings growth.
For those who like to find winning investments this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket.
If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. 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. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned.
We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading.
