Yahoo Finance MLG Oz (ASX:MLG) Could Be Struggling To Allocate 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. Put simply, these types of businesses are compounding machines, meaning they are continually reinvesting their earnings at ever-higher rates of return. Although, when we looked at MLG Oz (ASX:MLG), it didn't seem to tick all of these boxes.
Understanding Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)
If you haven't worked with ROCE before, it measures the 'return' (pre-tax profit) a company generates from capital employed in its business. To calculate this metric for MLG Oz, this is the formula:
Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)
0.07 = AU$12m ÷ (AU$246m - AU$79m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2023).
Therefore, MLG Oz has an ROCE of 7.0%. In absolute terms, that's a low return and it also under-performs the Metals and Mining industry average of 9.0%.
View our latest analysis for MLG Oz
Above you can see how the current ROCE for MLG Oz 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 MLG Oz here for free.
What Can We Tell From MLG Oz's ROCE Trend?
On the surface, the trend of ROCE at MLG Oz doesn't inspire confidence. To be more specific, ROCE has fallen from 16% over the last five years. However, given capital employed and revenue have both increased it appears that the business is currently pursuing growth, at the consequence of short term returns. If these investments prove successful, this can bode very well for long term stock performance.
In Conclusion...
While returns have fallen for MLG Oz in recent times, we're encouraged to see that sales are growing and that the business is reinvesting in its operations. In light of this, the stock has only gained 3.0% over the last year. Therefore we'd recommend looking further into this stock to confirm if it has the makings of a good investment.
If you want to continue researching MLG Oz, you might be interested to know about the 3 warning signs that our analysis has discovered.
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.
