Yahoo Finance Should You Worry About TTM Technologies, Inc.’s (NASDAQ:TTMI) ROCE?
Today we'll evaluate TTM Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:TTMI) to determine whether it could have potential as an investment idea. Specifically, we'll consider its Return On Capital Employed (ROCE), since that will give us an insight into how efficiently the business can generate profits from the capital it requires.
First up, we'll look at what ROCE is and how we calculate it. 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.
Understanding 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. In brief, it is a useful tool, but it is not without drawbacks. Renowned investment researcher Michael Mauboussin has suggested that a high ROCE can indicate that 'one dollar invested in the company generates value of more than one dollar'.
How Do You Calculate Return On Capital Employed?
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 TTM Technologies:
0.05 = US$142m ÷ (US$3.5b - US$667m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2019.)
Therefore, TTM Technologies has an ROCE of 5.0%.
Check out our latest analysis for TTM Technologies
Does TTM Technologies Have A Good ROCE?
ROCE is commonly used for comparing the performance of similar businesses. In this analysis, TTM Technologies's ROCE appears meaningfully below the 12% average reported by the Electronic industry. This performance could be negative if sustained, as it suggests the business may underperform its industry. Aside from the industry comparison, TTM Technologies's ROCE is mediocre in absolute terms, considering the risk of investing in stocks versus the safety of a bank account. Investors may wish to consider higher-performing investments.
We can see that, TTM Technologies currently has an ROCE of 5.0%, less than the 8.6% it reported 3 years ago. So investors might consider if it has had issues recently. You can click on the image below to see (in greater detail) how TTM Technologies's past growth compares to other companies.
When considering ROCE, bear in mind that it reflects the past and does not necessarily predict the future. ROCE can be deceptive for cyclical businesses, as returns can look incredible in boom times, and terribly low in downturns. This is because ROCE only looks at one year, instead of considering returns across a whole cycle. Since the future is so important for investors, you should check out our free report on analyst forecasts for TTM Technologies.
What Are Current Liabilities, And How Do They Affect TTM Technologies's ROCE?
Liabilities, such as supplier bills and bank overdrafts, are referred to as current liabilities if they need to be paid within 12 months. 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.
TTM Technologies has total liabilities of US$667m and total assets of US$3.5b. As a result, its current liabilities are equal to approximately 19% of its total assets. This is a modest level of current liabilities, which would only have a small effect on ROCE.
Our Take On TTM Technologies's ROCE
That said, TTM Technologies's ROCE is mediocre, there may be more attractive investments around. Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking at a few good candidates. So take a peek at this free list of companies with modest (or no) debt, trading on a P/E below 20.
If you are like me, then you will not want to miss this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying.
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.
