Yahoo Finance Our Take On The Returns On Capital At Greggs (LON:GRG)
What are the early trends we should look for to identify a stock that could multiply in value over the long term? One common approach is to try and find a company with returns on capital employed (ROCE) that are increasing, in conjunction with a growing amount 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. However, after investigating Greggs (LON:GRG), we don't think it's current trends fit the mold of a multi-bagger.
Return On Capital Employed (ROCE): What is it?
For those who don't know, ROCE is a measure of a company's yearly pre-tax profit (its return), relative to the capital employed in the business. The formula for this calculation on Greggs is:
Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)
0.028 = UK£15m ÷ (UK£811m - UK£281m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2020).
So, Greggs has an ROCE of 2.8%. In absolute terms, that's a low return and it also under-performs the Hospitality industry average of 5.5%.
View our latest analysis for Greggs
Above you can see how the current ROCE for Greggs compares to its prior returns on capital, but there's only so much you can tell from the past. If you're interested, you can view the analysts predictions in our free report on analyst forecasts for the company.
So How Is Greggs' ROCE Trending?
On the surface, the trend of ROCE at Greggs doesn't inspire confidence. Over the last five years, returns on capital have decreased to 2.8% from 26% five years ago. And considering revenue has dropped while employing more capital, we'd be cautious. If this were to continue, you might be looking at a company that is trying to reinvest for growth but is actually losing market share since sales haven't increased.
What We Can Learn From Greggs' ROCE
From the above analysis, we find it rather worrisome that returns on capital and sales for Greggs have fallen, meanwhile the business is employing more capital than it was five years ago. The market must be rosy on the stock's future because even though the underlying trends aren't too encouraging, the stock has soared 111%. Regardless, we don't feel too comfortable with the fundamentals so we'd be steering clear of this stock for now.
On a final note, we found 4 warning signs for Greggs (1 is a bit unpleasant) 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.
This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. 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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