Yahoo Finance Equifax (NYSE:EFX) Has Some Way To Go To Become A Multi-Bagger
If we want to find a potential multi-bagger, often there are underlying trends that can provide clues. Firstly, we'd want to identify a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and then alongside that, an ever-increasing 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 Equifax's (NYSE:EFX) ROCE trend, we were pretty happy with what we saw.
Understanding Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)
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. The formula for this calculation on Equifax is:
Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)
0.13 = US$1.2b ÷ (US$11b - US$2.3b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to March 2022).
Therefore, Equifax has an ROCE of 13%. That's a pretty standard return and it's in line with the industry average of 13%.
See our latest analysis for Equifax
Above you can see how the current ROCE for Equifax compares to its prior returns on capital, but there's only so much you can tell from the past. If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free report for Equifax.
What Does the ROCE Trend For Equifax Tell Us?
The trend of ROCE doesn't stand out much, but returns on a whole are decent. The company has employed 62% more capital in the last five years, and the returns on that capital have remained stable at 13%. Since 13% is a moderate ROCE though, it's good to see a business can continue to reinvest at these decent rates of return. Stable returns in this ballpark can be unexciting, but if they can be maintained over the long run, they often provide nice rewards to shareholders.
In Conclusion...
In the end, Equifax has proven its ability to adequately reinvest capital at good rates of return. And the stock has followed suit returning a meaningful 41% to shareholders 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.
Equifax does have some risks, we noticed 2 warning signs (and 1 which is a bit concerning) we think you should know about.
For those who like to invest in solid companies, check out this free list of companies with solid balance sheets and high returns on equity.
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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.
