Yahoo Finance QinetiQ Group (LON:QQ.) Will Want To Turn Around Its Return Trends
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. If you see this, it typically means it's a company with a great business model and plenty of profitable reinvestment opportunities. In light of that, when we looked at QinetiQ Group (LON:QQ.) and its ROCE trend, we weren't exactly thrilled.
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. Analysts use this formula to calculate it for QinetiQ Group:
Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)
0.097 = UK£123m ÷ (UK£1.8b - UK£495m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to March 2022).
Thus, QinetiQ Group has an ROCE of 9.7%. Even though it's in line with the industry average of 9.6%, it's still a low return by itself.
Check out our latest analysis for QinetiQ Group
Above you can see how the current ROCE for QinetiQ Group 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 QinetiQ Group here for free.
So How Is QinetiQ Group's ROCE Trending?
When we looked at the ROCE trend at QinetiQ Group, we didn't gain much confidence. To be more specific, ROCE has fallen from 19% over the last five years. However it looks like QinetiQ Group might be reinvesting for long term growth because while capital employed has increased, the company's sales haven't changed much in the last 12 months. 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.
On a related note, QinetiQ Group has decreased its current liabilities to 28% of total assets. So we could link some of this to the decrease in ROCE. What's more, this can reduce some aspects of risk to the business because now the company's suppliers or short-term creditors are funding less of its operations. Some would claim this reduces the business' efficiency at generating ROCE since it is now funding more of the operations with its own money.
Our Take On QinetiQ Group's ROCE
In summary, QinetiQ Group is reinvesting funds back into the business for growth but unfortunately it looks like sales haven't increased much just yet. Although the market must be expecting these trends to improve because the stock has gained 63% over the last five years. However, unless these underlying trends turn more positive, we wouldn't get our hopes up too high.
Like most companies, QinetiQ Group does come with some risks, and we've found 2 warning signs that you should be aware of.
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.
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