Yahoo Finance Returns On Capital Are Showing Encouraging Signs At ONEOK (NYSE:OKE)
What are the early trends we should look for to identify a stock that could multiply in value over the long term? Firstly, we'd want to identify a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and then alongside that, an ever-increasing base of capital employed. This shows us that it's a compounding machine, able to continually reinvest its earnings back into the business and generate higher returns. So when we looked at ONEOK (NYSE:OKE) and its trend of ROCE, we really liked what we saw.
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. To calculate this metric for ONEOK, this is the formula:
Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)
0.13 = US$2.6b ÷ (US$24b - US$3.5b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to March 2022).
Therefore, ONEOK has an ROCE of 13%. In absolute terms, that's a pretty normal return, and it's somewhat close to the Oil and Gas industry average of 12%.
View our latest analysis for ONEOK
Above you can see how the current ROCE for ONEOK 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 ONEOK.
What Can We Tell From ONEOK's ROCE Trend?
Investors would be pleased with what's happening at ONEOK. The data shows that returns on capital have increased substantially over the last five years to 13%. Basically the business is earning more per dollar of capital invested and in addition to that, 54% 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...
In summary, it's great to see that ONEOK can compound returns by consistently reinvesting capital at increasing rates of return, because these are some of the key ingredients of those highly sought after multi-baggers. Since the stock has returned a solid 73% to shareholders over the last five years, it's fair to say investors are beginning to recognize these changes. Therefore, we think it would be worth your time to check if these trends are going to continue.
One more thing: We've identified 4 warning signs with ONEOK (at least 2 which are concerning) , and understanding these would certainly be useful.
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.
