Yahoo Finance Lepidico (ASX:LPD) Might Have The Makings Of A Multi-Bagger
To find a multi-bagger stock, what are the underlying trends we should look for in a business? 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. With that in mind, we've noticed some promising trends at Lepidico (ASX:LPD) so let's look a bit deeper.
What is Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)?
Just to clarify if you're unsure, ROCE is a metric for evaluating how much pre-tax income (in percentage terms) a company earns on the capital invested in its business. The formula for this calculation on Lepidico is:
Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)
0.0022 = AU$186k ÷ (AU$85m - AU$1.1m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2021).
Therefore, Lepidico has an ROCE of 0.2%. Ultimately, that's a low return and it under-performs the Metals and Mining industry average of 9.4%.
View our latest analysis for Lepidico
Above you can see how the current ROCE for Lepidico compares to its prior returns on capital, but there's only so much you can tell from the past. If you'd like, you can check out the forecasts from the analysts covering Lepidico here for free.
How Are Returns Trending?
Lepidico has recently broken into profitability so their prior investments seem to be paying off. The company was generating losses five years ago, but now it's earning 0.2% which is a sight for sore eyes. And unsurprisingly, like most companies trying to break into the black, Lepidico is utilizing 305% more capital than it was five years ago. This can indicate that there's plenty of opportunities to invest capital internally and at ever higher rates, both common traits of a multi-bagger.
What We Can Learn From Lepidico's ROCE
To the delight of most shareholders, Lepidico has now broken into profitability. And with a respectable 85% awarded to those who held the stock over the last five years, you could argue that these developments are starting to get the attention they deserve. With that being said, we still think the promising fundamentals mean the company deserves some further due diligence.
One more thing to note, we've identified 3 warning signs with Lepidico and understanding these should be part of your investment process.
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.
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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