Here's What To Make Of Envista Holdings' (NYSE:NVST) Decelerating Rates Of Return

To find a multi-bagger stock, what are the underlying trends we should look for in a business? 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. Having said that, from a first glance at Envista Holdings (NYSE:NVST) we aren't jumping out of our chairs at how returns are trending, but let's have a deeper look.

Understanding Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)

For those that aren't sure what ROCE is, it measures the amount of pre-tax profits a company can generate from the capital employed in its business. To calculate this metric for Envista Holdings, this is the formula:

Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)

0.071 = US$376m ÷ (US$6.6b - US$1.3b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to April 2022).

So, Envista Holdings has an ROCE of 7.1%. In absolute terms, that's a low return but it's around the Medical Equipment industry average of 8.8%.

Check out our latest analysis for Envista Holdings

roce

Above you can see how the current ROCE for Envista Holdings compares to its prior returns on capital, but there's only so much you can tell from the past. If you'd like, you can check out the forecasts from the analysts covering Envista Holdings here for free.

How Are Returns Trending?

Things have been pretty stable at Envista Holdings, with its capital employed and returns on that capital staying somewhat the same for the last four years. It's not uncommon to see this when looking at a mature and stable business that isn't re-investing its earnings because it has likely passed that phase of the business cycle. So unless we see a substantial change at Envista Holdings in terms of ROCE and additional investments being made, we wouldn't hold our breath on it being a multi-bagger.

The Bottom Line On Envista Holdings' ROCE

In a nutshell, Envista Holdings has been trudging along with the same returns from the same amount of capital over the last four years. Additionally, the stock's total return to shareholders over the last year has been flat, which isn't too surprising. All in all, the inherent trends aren't typical of multi-baggers, so if that's what you're after, we think you might have more luck elsewhere.

One more thing to note, we've identified 2 warning signs with Envista Holdings and understanding them should be part of your investment process.

While Envista Holdings isn't earning the highest return, check out this free list of companies that are earning high returns on equity with solid balance sheets.

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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.