Yahoo Finance Investors Will Want Steppe Gold's (TSE:STGO) Growth In ROCE To Persist
There are a few key trends to look for if we want to identify the next multi-bagger. Firstly, we'd want to identify a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and then alongside that, an ever-increasing base of capital employed. This shows us that it's a compounding machine, able to continually reinvest its earnings back into the business and generate higher returns. So when we looked at Steppe Gold (TSE:STGO) and its trend of ROCE, we really liked what we saw.
What is 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 Steppe Gold is:
Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)
0.007 = US$671k ÷ (US$143m - US$48m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2021).
Therefore, Steppe Gold has an ROCE of 0.7%. In absolute terms, that's a low return and it also under-performs the Metals and Mining industry average of 4.0%.
Check out our latest analysis for Steppe Gold
In the above chart we have measured Steppe Gold'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 Steppe Gold here for free.
So How Is Steppe Gold's ROCE Trending?
The fact that Steppe Gold is now generating some pre-tax profits from its prior investments is very encouraging. The company was generating losses four years ago, but now it's earning 0.7% which is a sight for sore eyes. Not only that, but the company is utilizing 514% more capital than before, but that's to be expected from a company trying to break into profitability. This can indicate that there's plenty of opportunities to invest capital internally and at ever higher rates, both common traits of a multi-bagger.
On a side note, we noticed that the improvement in ROCE appears to be partly fueled by an increase in current liabilities. The current liabilities has increased to 33% of total assets, so the business is now more funded by the likes of its suppliers or short-term creditors. It's worth keeping an eye on this because as the percentage of current liabilities to total assets increases, some aspects of risk also increase.
The Key Takeaway
In summary, it's great to see that Steppe Gold has managed to break into profitability and is continuing to reinvest in its business. And investors seem to expect more of this going forward, since the stock has rewarded shareholders with a 56% return over the last three years. So given the stock has proven it has promising trends, it's worth researching the company further to see if these trends are likely to persist.
If you want to know some of the risks facing Steppe Gold we've found 3 warning signs (1 can't be ignored!) that you should be aware of before investing here.
If you want to search for solid companies with great earnings, check out this free list of companies with good balance sheets and impressive 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.
