Yahoo Finance Children's Place (NASDAQ:PLCE) Is Achieving High Returns On Its Capital
Did you know there are some financial metrics that can provide clues of a potential 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. Put simply, these types of businesses are compounding machines, meaning they are continually reinvesting their earnings at ever-higher rates of return. So when we looked at the ROCE trend of Children's Place (NASDAQ:PLCE) we really liked what we saw.
What Is Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)?
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 Children's Place:
Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)
0.49 = US$187m ÷ (US$1.2b - US$793m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to July 2022).
Therefore, Children's Place has an ROCE of 49%. In absolute terms that's a great return and it's even better than the Specialty Retail industry average of 17%.
See our latest analysis for Children's Place
Above you can see how the current ROCE for Children's Place 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 Children's Place.
What The Trend Of ROCE Can Tell Us
You'd find it hard not to be impressed with the ROCE trend at Children's Place. The figures show that over the last five years, returns on capital have grown by 73%. That's not bad because this tells for every dollar invested (capital employed), the company is increasing the amount earned from that dollar. Speaking of capital employed, the company is actually utilizing 34% less than it was five years ago, which can be indicative of a business that's improving its efficiency. A business that's shrinking its asset base like this isn't usually typical of a soon to be multi-bagger company.
For the record though, there was a noticeable increase in the company's current liabilities over the period, so we would attribute some of the ROCE growth to that. Effectively this means that suppliers or short-term creditors are now funding 68% of the business, which is more than it was five years ago. And with current liabilities at those levels, that's pretty high.
Our Take On Children's Place's ROCE
From what we've seen above, Children's Place has managed to increase it's returns on capital all the while reducing it's capital base. Given the stock has declined 48% in the last five years, this could be a good investment if the valuation and other metrics are also appealing. That being the case, research into the company's current valuation metrics and future prospects seems fitting.
Children's Place does have some risks though, and we've spotted 1 warning sign for Children's Place that you might be interested in.
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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