Yahoo Finance Why You Should Care About James Halstead's (LON:JHD) Strong Returns On Capital
There are a few key trends to look for if we want to identify the next multi-bagger. Firstly, we'll want to see a proven return on capital employed (ROCE) that is increasing, and secondly, an expanding base 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. That's why when we briefly looked at James Halstead's (LON:JHD) ROCE trend, we were very happy with what we saw.
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. To calculate this metric for James Halstead, this is the formula:
Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)
0.29 = UK£52m ÷ (UK£270m - UK£89m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2022).
Thus, James Halstead has an ROCE of 29%. In absolute terms that's a great return and it's even better than the Building industry average of 15%.
View our latest analysis for James Halstead
Above you can see how the current ROCE for James Halstead 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 James Halstead.
What Does the ROCE Trend For James Halstead Tell Us?
In terms of James Halstead's history of ROCE, it's quite impressive. The company has consistently earned 29% for the last five years, and the capital employed within the business has risen 33% in that time. Now considering ROCE is an attractive 29%, this combination is actually pretty appealing because it means the business can consistently put money to work and generate these high returns. If these trends can continue, it wouldn't surprise us if the company became a multi-bagger.
The Bottom Line
In the end, the company has proven it can reinvest it's capital at high rates of returns, which you'll remember is a trait of a multi-bagger. In light of this, the stock has only gained 2.9% over the last five years for shareholders who have owned the stock in this period. So because of the trends we're seeing, we'd recommend looking further into this stock to see if it has the makings of a multi-bagger.
If you'd like to know more about James Halstead, we've spotted 2 warning signs, and 1 of them can't be ignored.
High returns are a key ingredient to strong performance, so check out our free list ofstocks 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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