Yahoo Finance Slowing Rates Of Return At Alight (NYSE:ALIT) Leave Little Room For Excitement
What trends should we look for it we want to identify stocks that can multiply in value over the long term? 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. Although, when we looked at Alight (NYSE:ALIT), it didn't seem to tick all of these boxes.
What is Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)?
If you haven't worked with ROCE before, it measures the 'return' (pre-tax profit) a company generates from capital employed in its business. To calculate this metric for Alight, this is the formula:
Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)
0.0092 = US$82m ÷ (US$11b - US$2.4b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to March 2022).
So, Alight has an ROCE of 0.9%. In absolute terms, that's a low return and it also under-performs the Professional Services industry average of 13%.
View our latest analysis for Alight
Above you can see how the current ROCE for Alight compares to its prior returns on capital, but there's only so much you can tell from the past. If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free report for Alight.
What Can We Tell From Alight's ROCE Trend?
There hasn't been much to report for Alight's returns and its level of capital employed because both metrics have been steady for the past . Businesses with these traits tend to be mature and steady operations because they're past the growth phase. So don't be surprised if Alight doesn't end up being a multi-bagger in a few years time.
In Conclusion...
We can conclude that in regards to Alight's returns on capital employed and the trends, there isn't much change to report on. And investors appear hesitant that the trends will pick up because the stock has fallen 22% in the last year. On the whole, we aren't too inspired by the underlying trends and we think there may be better chances of finding a multi-bagger elsewhere.
On a final note, we've found 2 warning signs for Alight that we think you should be aware of.
While Alight isn't earning the highest return, check out this free list of companies that are earning high returns on equity with solid balance sheets.
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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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