Yahoo Finance Returns On Capital At AusNet Services (ASX:AST) Paint An Interesting Picture
If you're not sure where to start when looking for the next multi-bagger, there are a few key trends you should 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. Basically this means that a company has profitable initiatives that it can continue to reinvest in, which is a trait of a compounding machine. In light of that, when we looked at AusNet Services (ASX:AST) and its ROCE trend, we weren't exactly thrilled.
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 AusNet Services, this is the formula:
Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)
0.058 = AU$775m ÷ (AU$14b - AU$677m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2020).
Therefore, AusNet Services has an ROCE of 5.8%. In absolute terms, that's a low return but it's around the Electric Utilities industry average of 5.0%.
See our latest analysis for AusNet Services
In the above chart we have measured AusNet Services' prior ROCE against its prior performance, but the future is arguably more important. If you'd like, you can check out the forecasts from the analysts covering AusNet Services here for free.
What The Trend Of ROCE Can Tell Us
On the surface, the trend of ROCE at AusNet Services doesn't inspire confidence. Over the last five years, returns on capital have decreased to 5.8% from 7.6% five years ago. Meanwhile, the business is utilizing more capital but this hasn't moved the needle much in terms of sales in the past 12 months, so this could reflect longer term investments. It may take some time before the company starts to see any change in earnings from these investments.
The Bottom Line On AusNet Services' ROCE
Bringing it all together, while we're somewhat encouraged by AusNet Services' reinvestment in its own business, we're aware that returns are shrinking. Although the market must be expecting these trends to improve because the stock has gained 54% over the last five years. Ultimately, if the underlying trends persist, we wouldn't hold our breath on it being a multi-bagger going forward.
If you'd like to know more about AusNet Services, we've spotted 4 warning signs, and 3 of them can't be ignored.
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. 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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