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Why You Should Like Intuitive Surgical, Inc.’s (NASDAQ:ISRG) ROCE

Today we'll look at Intuitive Surgical, Inc. (NASDAQ:ISRG) and reflect on its potential as an investment. Specifically, we'll consider its Return On Capital Employed (ROCE), since that will give us an insight into how efficiently the business can generate profits from the capital it requires.

Firstly, we'll go over how we calculate ROCE. Second, we'll look at its ROCE compared to similar companies. And finally, we'll look at how its current liabilities are impacting its ROCE.

Understanding Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)

ROCE measures the 'return' (pre-tax profit) a company generates from capital employed in its business. In general, businesses with a higher ROCE are usually better quality. Overall, it is a valuable metric that has its flaws. Author Edwin Whiting says to be careful when comparing the ROCE of different businesses, since 'No two businesses are exactly alike.'

How Do You Calculate Return On Capital Employed?

Analysts use this formula to calculate return on capital employed:

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Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)

Or for Intuitive Surgical:

0.16 = US$1.3b ÷ (US$8.5b - US$808m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2019.)

Therefore, Intuitive Surgical has an ROCE of 16%.

See our latest analysis for Intuitive Surgical

Is Intuitive Surgical's ROCE Good?

ROCE can be useful when making comparisons, such as between similar companies. In our analysis, Intuitive Surgical's ROCE is meaningfully higher than the 10% average in the Medical Equipment industry. We would consider this a positive, as it suggests it is using capital more effectively than other similar companies. Regardless of where Intuitive Surgical sits next to its industry, its ROCE in absolute terms appears satisfactory, and this company could be worth a closer look.

The image below shows how Intuitive Surgical's ROCE compares to its industry, and you can click it to see more detail on its past growth.

NasdaqGS:ISRG Past Revenue and Net Income, August 23rd 2019
NasdaqGS:ISRG Past Revenue and Net Income, August 23rd 2019

When considering ROCE, bear in mind that it reflects the past and does not necessarily predict the future. ROCE can be misleading for companies in cyclical industries, with returns looking impressive during the boom times, but very weak during the busts. This is because ROCE only looks at one year, instead of considering returns across a whole cycle. Future performance is what matters, and you can see analyst predictions in our free report on analyst forecasts for the company.

Do Intuitive Surgical's Current Liabilities Skew Its ROCE?

Short term (or current) liabilities, are things like supplier invoices, overdrafts, or tax bills that need to be paid within 12 months. Due to the way ROCE is calculated, a high level of current liabilities makes a company look as though it has less capital employed, and thus can (sometimes unfairly) boost the ROCE. To check the impact of this, we calculate if a company has high current liabilities relative to its total assets.

Intuitive Surgical has total liabilities of US$808m and total assets of US$8.5b. As a result, its current liabilities are equal to approximately 9.5% of its total assets. Low current liabilities have only a minimal impact on Intuitive Surgical's ROCE, making its decent returns more credible.

What We Can Learn From Intuitive Surgical's ROCE

This is good to see, and while better prospects may exist, Intuitive Surgical seems worth researching further. Intuitive Surgical looks strong on this analysis, but there are plenty of other companies that could be a good opportunity . Here is a free list of companies growing earnings rapidly.

If you like to buy stocks alongside management, then you might just love this free list of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them).

We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. 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. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.