Finding a business that has the potential to grow substantially is not easy, but it is possible if we look at a few key financial metrics. Firstly, we'd want to identify a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and then alongside that, an ever-increasing base of capital employed. Ultimately, this demonstrates that it's a business that is reinvesting profits at increasing rates of return. Although, when we looked at Turners Automotive Group (NZSE:TRA), it didn't seem to tick all of these boxes.

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. The formula for this calculation on Turners Automotive Group is:

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

0.059 = NZ$48m ÷ (NZ$851m - NZ$45m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2022).

Therefore, Turners Automotive Group has an ROCE of 5.9%. Ultimately, that's a low return and it under-performs the Specialty Retail industry average of 12%.

See our latest analysis for Turners Automotive Group  roce

In the above chart we have measured Turners Automotive Group's prior ROCE against its prior performance, but the future is arguably more important. If you're interested, you can view the analysts predictions in our freereport on analyst forecasts for the company.

What Does the ROCE Trend For Turners Automotive Group Tell Us?

There are better returns on capital out there than what we're seeing at Turners Automotive Group. The company has employed 30% more capital in the last five years, and the returns on that capital have remained stable at 5.9%. Given the company has increased the amount of capital employed, it appears the investments that have been made simply don't provide a high return on capital.

The Bottom Line On Turners Automotive Group's ROCE

Long story short, while Turners Automotive Group has been reinvesting its capital, the returns that it's generating haven't increased. Although the market must be expecting these trends to improve because the stock has gained 58% over the last five years. However, unless these underlying trends turn more positive, we wouldn't get our hopes up too high.



On a final note, we found 2 warning signs for Turners Automotive Group (1 makes us a bit uncomfortable)  you should be aware of.

While Turners Automotive Group isn't earning the highest return, check out this freelist of companies that are earning high returns on equity with solid balance sheets.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content?Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.

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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