Some Investors May Be Worried About Shriro Holdings' (ASX:SHM) Returns On Capital

If you're looking for a multi-bagger, there's a few things to keep an eye out for. Amongst other things, we'll want to see two things; firstly, a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and secondly, an expansion in the company's 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. Looking at Shriro Holdings (ASX:SHM), it does have a high ROCE right now, but lets see how returns are trending.

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 Shriro Holdings, this is the formula:

Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)

0.26 = AU$20m ÷ (AU$108m - AU$31m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2021).

So, Shriro Holdings has an ROCE of 26%. On its own, that's a very good return and it's on par with the returns earned by companies in a similar industry.

Check out our latest analysis for Shriro Holdings

roce

While the past is not representative of the future, it can be helpful to know how a company has performed historically, which is why we have this chart above. If you're interested in investigating Shriro Holdings' past further, check out this free graph of past earnings, revenue and cash flow.

What Does the ROCE Trend For Shriro Holdings Tell Us?

In terms of Shriro Holdings' historical ROCE movements, the trend isn't fantastic. Historically returns on capital were even higher at 34%, but they have dropped over the last five years. 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. And if the increased capital generates additional returns, the business, and thus shareholders, will benefit in the long run.

The Key Takeaway

In summary, despite lower returns in the short term, we're encouraged to see that Shriro Holdings is reinvesting for growth and has higher sales as a result. In light of this, the stock has only gained 24% over the last five years. So this stock may still be an appealing investment opportunity, if other fundamentals prove to be sound.

One more thing: We've identified 3 warning signs with Shriro Holdings (at least 1 which is potentially serious) , and understanding them would certainly be useful.

If you want to search for more stocks that have been earning high returns, check out this free list of stocks with solid balance sheets that are also earning high returns on equity.

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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