Yahoo Finance Returns On Capital At Estia Health (ASX:EHE) Paint A Concerning Picture
What underlying fundamental trends can indicate that a company might be in decline? More often than not, we'll see a declining return on capital employed (ROCE) and a declining amount of capital employed. Basically the company is earning less on its investments and it is also reducing its total assets. So after we looked into Estia Health (ASX:EHE), the trends above didn't look too great.
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. Analysts use this formula to calculate it for Estia Health:
Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)
0.00036 = AU$286k ÷ (AU$1.8b - AU$1.0b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2022).
Therefore, Estia Health has an ROCE of 0.04%. In absolute terms, that's a low return and it also under-performs the Healthcare industry average of 8.4%.
See our latest analysis for Estia Health
Above you can see how the current ROCE for Estia Health 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 Estia Health here for free.
What Does the ROCE Trend For Estia Health Tell Us?
The trend of ROCE at Estia Health is showing some signs of weakness. Unfortunately, returns have declined substantially over the last five years to the 0.04% we see today. In addition to that, Estia Health is now employing 20% less capital than it was five years ago. The combination of lower ROCE and less capital employed can indicate that a business is likely to be facing some competitive headwinds or seeing an erosion to its moat. If these underlying trends continue, we wouldn't be too optimistic going forward.
On a side note, Estia Health's current liabilities have increased over the last five years to 56% of total assets, effectively distorting the ROCE to some degree. Without this increase, it's likely that ROCE would be even lower than 0.04%. What this means is that in reality, a rather large portion of the business is being funded by the likes of the company's suppliers or short-term creditors, which can bring some risks of its own.
The Bottom Line
To see Estia Health reducing the capital employed in the business in tandem with diminishing returns, is concerning. It should come as no surprise then that the stock has fallen 30% over the last five years, so it looks like investors are recognizing these changes. That being the case, unless the underlying trends revert to a more positive trajectory, we'd consider looking elsewhere.
While Estia Health doesn't shine too bright in this respect, it's still worth seeing if the company is trading at attractive prices. You can find that out with our FREE intrinsic value estimation on our platform.
While Estia Health isn't earning the highest return, check out this free list of companies that are earning high returns on equity with solid balance sheets.
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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.
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