Yahoo Finance NIKE (NYSE:NKE) Might Be Having Difficulty Using Its Capital Effectively
If you're looking for a multi-bagger, there's a few things to keep an eye out 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. Basically this means that a company has profitable initiatives that it can continue to reinvest in, which is a trait of a compounding machine. So while NIKE (NYSE:NKE) has a high ROCE right now, lets see what we can decipher from how returns are changing.
What Is 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. Analysts use this formula to calculate it for NIKE:
Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)
0.21 = US$6.2b ÷ (US$41b - US$11b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to August 2022).
So, NIKE has an ROCE of 21%. In absolute terms that's a great return and it's even better than the Luxury industry average of 17%.
See our latest analysis for NIKE
In the above chart we have measured NIKE's prior ROCE against its prior performance, but the future is arguably more important. 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 NIKE's ROCE Trend?
On the surface, the trend of ROCE at NIKE doesn't inspire confidence. While it's comforting that the ROCE is high, five years ago it was 26%. On the other hand, the company has been employing more capital without a corresponding improvement in sales in the last year, which could suggest these investments are longer term plays. It's worth keeping an eye on the company's earnings from here on to see if these investments do end up contributing to the bottom line.
The Key Takeaway
Bringing it all together, while we're somewhat encouraged by NIKE's reinvestment in its own business, we're aware that returns are shrinking. Since the stock has gained an impressive 92% over the last five years, investors must think there's better things to come. But if the trajectory of these underlying trends continue, we think the likelihood of it being a multi-bagger from here isn't high.
If you're still interested in NIKE it's worth checking out our FREE intrinsic value approximation to see if it's trading at an attractive price in other respects.
If you want to search for more stocks that have been earning high returns, check out this free list of stocks with solid balance sheets that are also earning 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.
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