Yahoo Finance Here's What's Concerning About DFS Furniture's (LON:DFS) Returns On Capital
If you're not sure where to start when looking for the next multi-bagger, there are a few key trends you should keep an eye out for. Typically, we'll want to notice a trend of growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and alongside that, an expanding base of capital employed. Ultimately, this demonstrates that it's a business that is reinvesting profits at increasing rates of return. However, after investigating DFS Furniture (LON:DFS), we don't think it's current trends fit the mold of a multi-bagger.
What Is Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)?
If you haven't worked with ROCE before, it measures the 'return' (pre-tax profit) a company generates from capital employed in its business. Analysts use this formula to calculate it for DFS Furniture:
Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)
0.11 = UK£81m ÷ (UK£1.1b - UK£387m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2021).
So, DFS Furniture has an ROCE of 11%. That's a relatively normal return on capital, and it's around the 12% generated by the Consumer Durables industry.
See our latest analysis for DFS Furniture
In the above chart we have measured DFS Furniture's prior ROCE against its prior performance, but the future is arguably more important. If you'd like, you can check out the forecasts from the analysts covering DFS Furniture here for free.
What Can We Tell From DFS Furniture's ROCE Trend?
In terms of DFS Furniture's historical ROCE movements, the trend isn't fantastic. To be more specific, ROCE has fallen from 14% over the last five years. However, given capital employed and revenue have both increased it appears that the business is currently pursuing growth, at the consequence of short term returns. And if the increased capital generates additional returns, the business, and thus shareholders, will benefit in the long run.
The Bottom Line On DFS Furniture's ROCE
In summary, despite lower returns in the short term, we're encouraged to see that DFS Furniture is reinvesting for growth and has higher sales as a result. These growth trends haven't led to growth returns though, since the stock has fallen 15% over the last five years. As a result, we'd recommend researching this stock further to uncover what other fundamentals of the business can show us.
DFS Furniture does have some risks though, and we've spotted 1 warning sign for DFS Furniture that you might be interested in.
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.
Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.
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.
Join A Paid User Research Session
You’ll receive a US$30 Amazon Gift card for 1 hour of your time while helping us build better investing tools for the individual investors like yourself. Sign up here
