Yahoo Finance Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) May Have Issues Allocating Its Capital
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. If you see this, it typically means it's a company with a great business model and plenty of profitable reinvestment opportunities. So while Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) has a high ROCE right now, lets see what we can decipher from how returns are changing.
Understanding Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)
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. The formula for this calculation on Ross Stores is:
Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)
0.22 = US$2.1b ÷ (US$14b - US$4.4b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to October 2023).
Therefore, Ross Stores has an ROCE of 22%. In absolute terms that's a great return and it's even better than the Specialty Retail industry average of 13%.
View our latest analysis for Ross Stores
Above you can see how the current ROCE for Ross Stores 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 analyst report for Ross Stores .
What The Trend Of ROCE Can Tell Us
On the surface, the trend of ROCE at Ross Stores doesn't inspire confidence. While it's comforting that the ROCE is high, five years ago it was 52%. On the other hand, the company has been employing more capital without a corresponding improvement in sales in the last year, which could suggest these investments are longer term plays. It's worth keeping an eye on the company's earnings from here on to see if these investments do end up contributing to the bottom line.
In Conclusion...
Bringing it all together, while we're somewhat encouraged by Ross Stores' reinvestment in its own business, we're aware that returns are shrinking. Although the market must be expecting these trends to improve because the stock has gained 64% over the last five years. But if the trajectory of these underlying trends continue, we think the likelihood of it being a multi-bagger from here isn't high.
If you're still interested in Ross Stores it's worth checking out our FREE intrinsic value approximation for ROST to see if it's trading at an attractive price in other respects.
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.
