Yahoo Finance Some Investors May Be Worried About AB Dynamics' (LON:ABDP) Returns On Capital
If we want to find a potential multi-bagger, often there are underlying trends that can provide clues. Ideally, a business will show two trends; firstly a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and secondly, an increasing amount 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. However, after briefly looking over the numbers, we don't think AB Dynamics (LON:ABDP) 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?
If you haven't worked with ROCE before, it measures the 'return' (pre-tax profit) a company generates from capital employed in its business. The formula for this calculation on AB Dynamics is:
Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)
0.051 = UK£5.8m ÷ (UK£138m - UK£24m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to February 2022).
Thus, AB Dynamics has an ROCE of 5.1%. In absolute terms, that's a low return and it also under-performs the Auto Components industry average of 6.7%.
See our latest analysis for AB Dynamics
In the above chart we have measured AB Dynamics' 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 AB Dynamics.
What Does the ROCE Trend For AB Dynamics Tell Us?
When we looked at the ROCE trend at AB Dynamics, we didn't gain much confidence. Over the last five years, returns on capital have decreased to 5.1% from 16% five years ago. Although, given both revenue and the amount of assets employed in the business have increased, it could suggest the company is investing in growth, and the extra capital has led to a short-term reduction in ROCE. If these investments prove successful, this can bode very well for long term stock performance.
In Conclusion...
Even though returns on capital have fallen in the short term, we find it promising that revenue and capital employed have both increased for AB Dynamics. Furthermore the stock has climbed 89% over the last five years, it would appear that investors are upbeat about the future. So while the underlying trends could already be accounted for by investors, we still think this stock is worth looking into further.
AB Dynamics does have some risks though, and we've spotted 1 warning sign for AB Dynamics that you might be interested in.
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.
