United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Is Reinvesting To Multiply In Value

If we want to find a potential multi-bagger, often there are underlying trends that can provide clues. 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. This shows us that it's a compounding machine, able to continually reinvest its earnings back into the business and generate higher returns. That's why when we briefly looked at United Parcel Service's (NYSE:UPS) ROCE trend, we were very happy with what we saw.

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. To calculate this metric for United Parcel Service, this is the formula:

Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)

0.23 = US$13b ÷ (US$72b - US$16b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to March 2023).

So, United Parcel Service has an ROCE of 23%. In absolute terms that's a great return and it's even better than the Logistics industry average of 15%.

Check out our latest analysis for United Parcel Service

roce

In the above chart we have measured United Parcel Service's prior ROCE against its prior performance, but the future is arguably more important. If you'd like, you can check out the forecasts from the analysts covering United Parcel Service here for free.

How Are Returns Trending?

In terms of United Parcel Service's history of ROCE, it's quite impressive. Over the past five years, ROCE has remained relatively flat at around 23% and the business has deployed 68% more capital into its operations. With returns that high, it's great that the business can continually reinvest its money at such appealing rates of return. If these trends can continue, it wouldn't surprise us if the company became a multi-bagger.

The Key Takeaway

In short, we'd argue United Parcel Service has the makings of a multi-bagger since its been able to compound its capital at very profitable rates of return. Therefore it's no surprise that shareholders have earned a respectable 72% return if they held over the last five years. So while investors seem to be recognizing these promising trends, we still believe the stock deserves further research.

One more thing, we've spotted 1 warning sign facing United Parcel Service that you might find interesting.

United Parcel Service is not the only stock earning high returns. If you'd like to see more, check out our free list of companies earning high returns on equity with solid fundamentals.

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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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