Yahoo Finance Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) Is Aiming To Keep Up Its Impressive Returns
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. Put simply, these types of businesses are compounding machines, meaning they are continually reinvesting their earnings at ever-higher rates of return. That's why when we briefly looked at Costco Wholesale's (NASDAQ:COST) ROCE trend, we were very happy with what we saw.
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. To calculate this metric for Costco Wholesale, this is the formula:
Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)
0.24 = US$7.0b ÷ (US$57b - US$28b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to May 2021).
Therefore, Costco Wholesale has an ROCE of 24%. In absolute terms that's a great return and it's even better than the Consumer Retailing industry average of 8.4%.
See our latest analysis for Costco Wholesale
Above you can see how the current ROCE for Costco Wholesale 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 Can We Tell From Costco Wholesale's ROCE Trend?
It's hard not to be impressed by Costco Wholesale's returns on capital. Over the past five years, ROCE has remained relatively flat at around 24% and the business has deployed 73% more capital into its operations. Returns like this are the envy of most businesses and given it has repeatedly reinvested at these rates, that's even better. If Costco Wholesale can keep this up, we'd be very optimistic about its future.
On a side note, Costco Wholesale's current liabilities are still rather high at 49% of total assets. This can bring about some risks because the company is basically operating with a rather large reliance on its suppliers or other sorts of short-term creditors. Ideally we'd like to see this reduce as that would mean fewer obligations bearing risks.
The Key Takeaway
In the end, the company has proven it can reinvest it's capital at high rates of returns, which you'll remember is a trait of a multi-bagger. On top of that, the stock has rewarded shareholders with a remarkable 239% return to those who've held over the last five years. So while the positive underlying trends may be accounted for by investors, we still think this stock is worth looking into further.
One more thing, we've spotted 2 warning signs facing Costco Wholesale that you might find interesting.
If you'd like to see other companies earning high returns, check out our free list of companies earning high returns with solid balance sheets here.
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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