Did you know there are some financial metrics that can provide clues of a potential multi-bagger? Amongst other things, we'll want to see two things; firstly, a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and secondly, an expansion in the company's amount of capital employed. Put simply, these types of businesses are compounding machines, meaning they are continually reinvesting their earnings at ever-higher rates of return. With that in mind, we've noticed some promising trends at Resources Connection (NASDAQ:RGP) so let's look a bit deeper.
Return On Capital Employed (ROCE): What Is It?
Just to clarify if you're unsure, ROCE is a metric for evaluating how much pre-tax income (in percentage terms) a company earns on the capital invested in its business. Analysts use this formula to calculate it for Resources Connection:
Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)
0.18 = US$84m ÷ (US$581m - US$124m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to May 2022).
Thus, Resources Connection has an ROCE of 18%. In absolute terms, that's a satisfactory return, but compared to the Professional Services industry average of 13% it's much better.
In the above chart we have measured Resources Connection's 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 Resources Connection.
What Can We Tell From Resources Connection's ROCE Trend?
The trends we've noticed at Resources Connection are quite reassuring. Over the last five years, returns on capital employed have risen substantially to 18%. Basically the business is earning more per dollar of capital invested and in addition to that, 56% more capital is being employed now too. This can indicate that there's plenty of opportunities to invest capital internally and at ever higher rates, a combination that's common among multi-baggers.
In Conclusion...
A company that is growing its returns on capital and can consistently reinvest in itself is a highly sought after trait, and that's what Resources Connection has. And investors seem to expect more of this going forward, since the stock has rewarded shareholders with a 95% return over the last five years. Therefore, we think it would be worth your time to check if these trends are going to continue.
If you want to know some of the risks facing Resources Connection we've found 2 warning signs (1 is significant!) that you should be aware of before investing here.
For those who like to invest in solid companies, check out this free list of companies with solid balance sheets and high 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.
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