Yahoo Finance There Are Reasons To Feel Uneasy About Wyndham Hotels & Resorts' (NYSE:WH) Returns On Capital
If you're not sure where to start when looking for the next multi-bagger, there are a few key trends you should keep an eye out for. Firstly, we'd want to identify a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and then alongside that, an ever-increasing base of capital employed. Basically this means that a company has profitable initiatives that it can continue to reinvest in, which is a trait of a compounding machine. Although, when we looked at Wyndham Hotels & Resorts (NYSE:WH), it didn't seem to tick all of these boxes.
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 Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, this is the formula:
Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)
0.14 = US$524m ÷ (US$4.3b - US$387m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2022).
Therefore, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts has an ROCE of 14%. On its own, that's a standard return, however it's much better than the 10% generated by the Hospitality industry.
Check out our latest analysis for Wyndham Hotels & Resorts
Above you can see how the current ROCE for Wyndham Hotels & Resorts compares to its prior returns on capital, but there's only so much you can tell from the past. If you'd like, you can check out the forecasts from the analysts covering Wyndham Hotels & Resorts here for free.
What The Trend Of ROCE Can Tell Us
When we looked at the ROCE trend at Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, we didn't gain much confidence. Over the last five years, returns on capital have decreased to 14% from 18% 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 Wyndham Hotels & Resorts' ROCE
Even though returns on capital have fallen in the short term, we find it promising that revenue and capital employed have both increased for Wyndham Hotels & Resorts. Furthermore the stock has climbed 45% over the last three 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.
If you want to know some of the risks facing Wyndham Hotels & Resorts we've found 3 warning signs (1 is a bit unpleasant!) 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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