Yahoo Finance Mainfreight (NZSE:MFT) Has Some Way To Go To Become A Multi-Bagger
There are a few key trends to look for if we want to identify the next multi-bagger. Typically, we'll want to notice a trend of growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and alongside that, an expanding base of capital employed. Ultimately, this demonstrates that it's a business that is reinvesting profits at increasing rates of return. That's why when we briefly looked at Mainfreight's (NZSE:MFT) ROCE trend, we were pretty happy with what we saw.
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. Analysts use this formula to calculate it for Mainfreight:
Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)
0.19 = NZ$513m ÷ (NZ$3.5b - NZ$799m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2023).
Therefore, Mainfreight has an ROCE of 19%. On its own, that's a standard return, however it's much better than the 11% generated by the Logistics industry.
View our latest analysis for Mainfreight
Above you can see how the current ROCE for Mainfreight 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 Mainfreight .
How Are Returns Trending?
The trend of ROCE doesn't stand out much, but returns on a whole are decent. The company has employed 154% more capital in the last five years, and the returns on that capital have remained stable at 19%. 19% is a pretty standard return, and it provides some comfort knowing that Mainfreight has consistently earned this amount. Stable returns in this ballpark can be unexciting, but if they can be maintained over the long run, they often provide nice rewards to shareholders.
The Bottom Line
In the end, Mainfreight has proven its ability to adequately reinvest capital at good rates of return. On top of that, the stock has rewarded shareholders with a remarkable 110% return to those who've held over the last five years. So while investors seem to be recognizing these promising trends, we still believe the stock deserves further research.
Mainfreight could be trading at an attractive price in other respects, so you might find our free intrinsic value estimation for MFT on our platform quite valuable.
If you want to search for solid companies with great earnings, check out this free list of companies with good balance sheets and impressive returns on equity.
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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.
