Datasonic Group Berhad (KLSE:DSONIC) May Have Issues Allocating Its Capital

If we're looking to avoid a business that is in decline, what are the trends that can warn us ahead of time? When we see a declining return on capital employed (ROCE) in conjunction with a declining base of capital employed, that's often how a mature business shows signs of aging. Trends like this ultimately mean the business is reducing its investments and also earning less on what it has invested. On that note, looking into Datasonic Group Berhad (KLSE:DSONIC), we weren't too upbeat about how things were going.

What Is Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)?

If you haven't worked with ROCE before, it measures the 'return' (pre-tax profit) a company generates from capital employed in its business. To calculate this metric for Datasonic Group Berhad, this is the formula:

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

0.086 = RM32m ÷ (RM409m - RM35m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2022).

Thus, Datasonic Group Berhad has an ROCE of 8.6%. In absolute terms, that's a low return and it also under-performs the IT industry average of 11%.

View our latest analysis for Datasonic Group Berhad

In the above chart we have measured Datasonic Group Berhad'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 free report on analyst forecasts for the company.

So How Is Datasonic Group Berhad's ROCE Trending?

We are a bit worried about the trend of returns on capital at Datasonic Group Berhad. To be more specific, the ROCE was 21% five years ago, but since then it has dropped noticeably. Meanwhile, capital employed in the business has stayed roughly the flat over the period. Since returns are falling and the business has the same amount of assets employed, this can suggest it's a mature business that hasn't had much growth in the last five years. So because these trends aren't typically conducive to creating a multi-bagger, we wouldn't hold our breath on Datasonic Group Berhad becoming one if things continue as they have.

On a side note, Datasonic Group Berhad has done well to pay down its current liabilities to 8.5% of total assets. That could partly explain why the ROCE has dropped. 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.

What We Can Learn From Datasonic Group Berhad's ROCE

In the end, the trend of lower returns on the same amount of capital isn't typically an indication that we're looking at a growth stock. And, the stock has remained flat over the last five years, so investors don't seem too impressed either. Unless there is a shift to a more positive trajectory in these metrics, we would look elsewhere.

If you're still interested in Datasonic Group Berhad it's worth checking out our FREE intrinsic value approximation to see if it's trading at an attractive price in other respects.

While Datasonic Group 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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