Yahoo Finance Returns On Capital Are Showing Encouraging Signs At GMS (NYSE:GMS)
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. So on that note, GMS (NYSE:GMS) looks quite promising in regards to its trends of return on capital.
Understanding 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. To calculate this metric for GMS, this is the formula:
Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)
0.18 = US$461m ÷ (US$3.2b - US$667m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to July 2022).
So, GMS has an ROCE of 18%. In absolute terms, that's a pretty normal return, and it's somewhat close to the Trade Distributors industry average of 15%.
View our latest analysis for GMS
In the above chart we have measured GMS' prior ROCE against its prior performance, but the future is arguably more important. If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free report for GMS.
What Does the ROCE Trend For GMS Tell Us?
GMS is displaying some positive trends. Over the last five years, returns on capital employed have risen substantially to 18%. The amount of capital employed has increased too, by 112%. This can indicate that there's plenty of opportunities to invest capital internally and at ever higher rates, a combination that's common among multi-baggers.
In Conclusion...
In summary, it's great to see that GMS can compound returns by consistently reinvesting capital at increasing rates of return, because these are some of the key ingredients of those highly sought after multi-baggers. Since the stock has only returned 25% to shareholders over the last five years, the promising fundamentals may not be recognized yet by investors. So exploring more about this stock could uncover a good opportunity, if the valuation and other metrics stack up.
One final note, you should learn about the 3 warning signs we've spotted with GMS (including 1 which is a bit unpleasant) .
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.
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