What trends should we look for it we want to identify stocks that can multiply in value over the long term? Typically, we’ll want to notice a trend of growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and alongside that, an expanding base of capital employed. If you see this, it typically means it’s a company with a great business model and plenty of profitable reinvestment opportunities. That’s why when we briefly looked at Barry Callebaut’s (VTX:BARN) ROCE trend, we were pretty happy with what we saw.
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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. Analysts use this formula to calculate it for Barry Callebaut:
Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets – Current Liabilities)
0.13 = CHF983m ÷ (CHF18b – CHF10b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to February 2025).
So, Barry Callebaut has an ROCE of 13%. That’s a relatively normal return on capital, and it’s around the 12% generated by the Food industry.
See our latest analysis for Barry Callebaut
Above you can see how the current ROCE for Barry Callebaut compares to its prior returns on capital, but there’s only so much you can tell from the past. If you’d like, you can check out the forecasts from the analysts covering Barry Callebaut for free.
While the returns on capital are good, they haven’t moved much. Over the past five years, ROCE has remained relatively flat at around 13% and the business has deployed 76% more capital into its operations. 13% is a pretty standard return, and it provides some comfort knowing that Barry Callebaut has consistently earned this amount. Over long periods of time, returns like these might not be too exciting, but with consistency they can pay off in terms of share price returns.
On another note, while the change in ROCE trend might not scream for attention, it’s interesting that the current liabilities have actually gone up over the last five years. This is intriguing because if current liabilities hadn’t increased to 57% of total assets, this reported ROCE would probably be less than13% because total capital employed would be higher.The 13% ROCE could be even lower if current liabilities weren’t 57% of total assets, because the the formula would show a larger base of total capital employed. So with current liabilities at such high levels, this effectively means the likes of suppliers or short-term creditors are funding a meaningful part of the business, which in some instances can bring some risks.