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There Are Reasons To Feel Uneasy About Carr's Group's (LON:CARR) Returns On Capital

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. Typically, we'll want to notice a trend of growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and alongside that, an expanding base of capital employed. Ultimately, this demonstrates that it's a business that is reinvesting profits at increasing rates of return. However, after briefly looking over the numbers, we don't think Carr's Group (LON:CARR) has the makings of a multi-bagger going forward, but let's have a look at why that may be.

Return On Capital Employed (ROCE): What is it?

Just to clarify if you're unsure, ROCE is a metric for evaluating how much pre-tax income (in percentage terms) a company earns on the capital invested in its business. The formula for this calculation on Carr's Group is:

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

0.077 = UK£14m ÷ (UK£295m - UK£116m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to February 2022).

So, Carr's Group has an ROCE of 7.7%. In absolute terms, that's a low return and it also under-performs the Food industry average of 11%.

View our latest analysis for Carr's Group

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In the above chart we have measured Carr's 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 free report on analyst forecasts for the company.

So How Is Carr's Group's ROCE Trending?

When we looked at the ROCE trend at Carr's Group, we didn't gain much confidence. Over the last five years, returns on capital have decreased to 7.7% from 9.9% five years ago. 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. If these investments prove successful, this can bode very well for long term stock performance.

Our Take On Carr's Group's ROCE

While returns have fallen for Carr's Group in recent times, we're encouraged to see that sales are growing and that the business is reinvesting in its operations. In light of this, the stock has only gained 21% over the last five years. Therefore we'd recommend looking further into this stock to confirm if it has the makings of a good investment.

One more thing to note, we've identified 1 warning sign with Carr's Group and understanding it should be part of your investment process.

While Carr's Group 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.