Yahoo Finance Coca-Cola Consolidated (NASDAQ:COKE) Is Experiencing Growth In Returns On Capital
What are the early trends we should look for to identify a stock that could multiply in value over the long term? Firstly, we'd want to identify a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and then alongside that, an ever-increasing base of capital employed. Ultimately, this demonstrates that it's a business that is reinvesting profits at increasing rates of return. Speaking of which, we noticed some great changes in Coca-Cola Consolidated's (NASDAQ:COKE) returns on capital, so let's have a look.
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. The formula for this calculation on Coca-Cola Consolidated is:
Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)
0.17 = US$443m ÷ (US$3.4b - US$835m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2021).
Therefore, Coca-Cola Consolidated has an ROCE of 17%. In absolute terms, that's a satisfactory return, but compared to the Beverage industry average of 7.1% it's much better.
Check out our latest analysis for Coca-Cola Consolidated
In the above chart we have measured Coca-Cola Consolidated's prior ROCE against its prior performance, but the future is arguably more important. If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free report for Coca-Cola Consolidated.
The Trend Of ROCE
Coca-Cola Consolidated is displaying some positive trends. The data shows that returns on capital have increased substantially over the last five years to 17%. The company is effectively making more money per dollar of capital used, and it's worth noting that the amount of capital has increased too, by 31%. So we're very much inspired by what we're seeing at Coca-Cola Consolidated thanks to its ability to profitably reinvest capital.
The Bottom Line
All in all, it's terrific to see that Coca-Cola Consolidated is reaping the rewards from prior investments and is growing its capital base. And a remarkable 139% total return over the last five years tells us that investors are expecting more good things to come in the future. With that being said, we still think the promising fundamentals mean the company deserves some further due diligence.
Coca-Cola Consolidated does have some risks though, and we've spotted 3 warning signs for Coca-Cola Consolidated that you might be interested in.
While Coca-Cola Consolidated may not currently earn the highest returns, we've compiled a list of companies that currently earn more than 25% return on equity. Check out this free list here.
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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.
