Yahoo Finance Costamare (NYSE:CMRE) Is Experiencing Growth In Returns On Capital
What trends should we look for it we want to identify stocks that can multiply in value over the long term? Ideally, a business will show two trends; firstly a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and secondly, an increasing amount 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. With that in mind, we've noticed some promising trends at Costamare (NYSE:CMRE) so let's look a bit deeper.
Understanding Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)
For those that aren't sure what ROCE is, it measures the amount of pre-tax profits a company can generate from the capital employed in its business. Analysts use this formula to calculate it for Costamare:
Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)
0.13 = US$578m ÷ (US$4.8b - US$445m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2022).
Therefore, Costamare has an ROCE of 13%. In isolation, that's a pretty standard return but against the Shipping industry average of 18%, it's not as good.
Check out our latest analysis for Costamare
In the above chart we have measured Costamare's prior ROCE against its prior performance, but the future is arguably more important. If you'd like, you can check out the forecasts from the analysts covering Costamare here for free.
So How Is Costamare's ROCE Trending?
Investors would be pleased with what's happening at Costamare. The data shows that returns on capital have increased substantially over the last five years to 13%. The company is effectively making more money per dollar of capital used, and it's worth noting that the amount of capital has increased too, by 89%. 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.
The Key Takeaway
In summary, it's great to see that Costamare 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. And with the stock having performed exceptionally well over the last five years, these patterns are being accounted for by investors. So given the stock has proven it has promising trends, it's worth researching the company further to see if these trends are likely to persist.
If you want to know some of the risks facing Costamare we've found 3 warning signs (1 is a bit unpleasant!) that you should be aware of before investing here.
While Costamare 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.
Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.
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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