Yahoo Finance Investors Could Be Concerned With Corning's (NYSE:GLW) Returns On Capital
What underlying fundamental trends can indicate that a company might be in decline? Typically, we'll see the trend of both return on capital employed (ROCE) declining and this usually coincides with a decreasing amount of capital employed. Basically the company is earning less on its investments and it is also reducing its total assets. So after we looked into Corning (NYSE:GLW), the trends above didn't look too great.
Return On Capital Employed (ROCE): What Is It?
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. To calculate this metric for Corning, this is the formula:
Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)
0.055 = US$1.3b ÷ (US$28b - US$4.2b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to March 2024).
Therefore, Corning has an ROCE of 5.5%. Ultimately, that's a low return and it under-performs the Electronic industry average of 11%.
See our latest analysis for Corning
In the above chart we have measured Corning's prior ROCE against its prior performance, but the future is arguably more important. If you're interested, you can view the analysts predictions in our free analyst report for Corning .
What The Trend Of ROCE Can Tell Us
In terms of Corning's historical ROCE movements, the trend doesn't inspire confidence. To be more specific, the ROCE was 7.5% five years ago, but since then it has dropped noticeably. Meanwhile, capital employed in the business has stayed roughly the flat over the period. This combination can be indicative of a mature business that still has areas to deploy capital, but the returns received aren't as high due potentially to new competition or smaller margins. If these trends continue, we wouldn't expect Corning to turn into a multi-bagger.
Our Take On Corning's ROCE
All in all, the lower returns from the same amount of capital employed aren't exactly signs of a compounding machine. Investors must expect better things on the horizon though because the stock has risen 37% in the last five years. Either way, we aren't huge fans of the current trends and so with that we think you might find better investments elsewhere.
One more thing: We've identified 4 warning signs with Corning (at least 1 which shouldn't be ignored) , and understanding these would certainly be useful.
While Corning isn't earning the highest return, check out this free list of companies that are 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.
