Yahoo Finance Victrex (LON:VCT) Will Want To Turn Around Its Return Trends
To find a multi-bagger stock, what are the underlying trends we should look for in a business? Typically, we'll want to notice a trend of growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and alongside that, an expanding 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. However, after briefly looking over the numbers, we don't think Victrex (LON:VCT) has the makings of a multi-bagger going forward, but let's have a look at why that may be.
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. Analysts use this formula to calculate it for Victrex:
Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)
0.16 = UK£88m ÷ (UK£615m - UK£56m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2021).
Thus, Victrex has an ROCE of 16%. On its own, that's a standard return, however it's much better than the 11% generated by the Chemicals industry.
See our latest analysis for Victrex
In the above chart we have measured Victrex's prior ROCE against its prior performance, but the future is arguably more important. If you're interested, you can view the analysts predictions in our free report on analyst forecasts for the company.
The Trend Of ROCE
In terms of Victrex's historical ROCE movements, the trend isn't fantastic. Around five years ago the returns on capital were 24%, but since then they've fallen to 16%. However, given capital employed and revenue have both increased it appears that the business is currently pursuing growth, at the consequence of short term returns. And if the increased capital generates additional returns, the business, and thus shareholders, will benefit in the long run.
In Conclusion...
In summary, despite lower returns in the short term, we're encouraged to see that Victrex is reinvesting for growth and has higher sales as a result. In light of this, the stock has only gained 13% over the last five years. Therefore we'd recommend looking further into this stock to confirm if it has the makings of a good investment.
On a separate note, we've found 2 warning signs for Victrex you'll probably want to know about.
While Victrex may not currently earn the highest returns, we've compiled a list of companies that currently earn more than 25% return on equity. Check out this free list here.
Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.
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.
