Returns On Capital At Ocean Vantage Holdings Berhad (KLSE:OVH) Paint A Concerning Picture
Did you know there are some financial metrics that can provide clues of a potential multi-bagger? 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. Put simply, these types of businesses are compounding machines, meaning they are continually reinvesting their earnings at ever-higher rates of return. Having said that, from a first glance at Ocean Vantage Holdings Berhad (KLSE:OVH) we aren't jumping out of our chairs at how returns are trending, but let's have a deeper look.
Understanding Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)
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 Ocean Vantage Holdings Berhad:
Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)
0.13 = RM9.4m ÷ (RM88m - RM18m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2022).
Thus, Ocean Vantage Holdings Berhad has an ROCE of 13%. In absolute terms, that's a satisfactory return, but compared to the Energy Services industry average of 8.4% it's much better.
View our latest analysis for Ocean Vantage Holdings Berhad
Historical performance is a great place to start when researching a stock so above you can see the gauge for Ocean Vantage Holdings Berhad's ROCE against it's prior returns. If you want to delve into the historical earnings, revenue and cash flow of Ocean Vantage Holdings Berhad, check out these free graphs here.
What The Trend Of ROCE Can Tell Us
In terms of Ocean Vantage Holdings Berhad's historical ROCE movements, the trend isn't fantastic. To be more specific, ROCE has fallen from 34% over the last five years. Although, given both revenue and the amount of assets employed in the business have increased, it could suggest the company is investing in growth, and the extra capital has led to a short-term reduction in ROCE. And if the increased capital generates additional returns, the business, and thus shareholders, will benefit in the long run.
On a related note, Ocean Vantage Holdings Berhad has decreased its current liabilities to 20% of total assets. So we could link some of this to the decrease in ROCE. Effectively this means their suppliers or short-term creditors are funding less of the business, which reduces some elements of risk. Some would claim this reduces the business' efficiency at generating ROCE since it is now funding more of the operations with its own money.
In Conclusion...
While returns have fallen for Ocean Vantage Holdings Berhad in recent times, we're encouraged to see that sales are growing and that the business is reinvesting in its operations. These growth trends haven't led to growth returns though, since the stock has fallen 31% over the last year. As a result, we'd recommend researching this stock further to uncover what other fundamentals of the business can show us.
One more thing, we've spotted 4 warning signs facing Ocean Vantage Holdings Berhad that you might find interesting.
While Ocean Vantage Holdings Berhad may not currently earn the highest returns, we've compiled a list of companies that currently earn more than 25% return on equity. Check out this free list here.
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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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