Yahoo Finance Kewaunee Scientific (NASDAQ:KEQU) Will Want To Turn Around Its Return Trends
If you're looking for a multi-bagger, there's a few things to keep an eye out for. 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. However, after investigating Kewaunee Scientific (NASDAQ:KEQU), we don't think it's current trends fit the mold of a multi-bagger.
Understanding 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 Kewaunee Scientific:
Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)
0.029 = US$2.2m ÷ (US$119m - US$43m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to October 2022).
Therefore, Kewaunee Scientific has an ROCE of 2.9%. In absolute terms, that's a low return and it also under-performs the Medical Equipment industry average of 11%.
View our latest analysis for Kewaunee Scientific
While the past is not representative of the future, it can be helpful to know how a company has performed historically, which is why we have this chart above. If you want to delve into the historical earnings, revenue and cash flow of Kewaunee Scientific, check out these free graphs here.
So How Is Kewaunee Scientific's ROCE Trending?
In terms of Kewaunee Scientific's historical ROCE movements, the trend isn't fantastic. Over the last five years, returns on capital have decreased to 2.9% from 12% 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.
Our Take On Kewaunee Scientific's ROCE
In summary, despite lower returns in the short term, we're encouraged to see that Kewaunee Scientific is reinvesting for growth and has higher sales as a result. And there could be an opportunity here if other metrics look good too, because the stock has declined 41% in the last five years. So we think it'd be worthwhile to look further into this stock given the trends look encouraging.
On a final note, we found 2 warning signs for Kewaunee Scientific (1 is potentially serious) you should be aware of.
While Kewaunee Scientific 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.
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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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