Yahoo Finance The Return Trends At Zimmer Biomet Holdings (NYSE:ZBH) Look Promising
If you're looking for a multi-bagger, there's a few things to keep an eye out for. Firstly, we'll want to see a proven return on capital employed (ROCE) that is increasing, and secondly, 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. With that in mind, we've noticed some promising trends at Zimmer Biomet Holdings (NYSE:ZBH) so let's look a bit deeper.
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 Zimmer Biomet Holdings is:
Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)
0.08 = US$1.5b ÷ (US$21b - US$2.9b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2023).
So, Zimmer Biomet Holdings has an ROCE of 8.0%. In absolute terms, that's a low return but it's around the Medical Equipment industry average of 9.6%.
Check out our latest analysis for Zimmer Biomet Holdings
In the above chart we have measured Zimmer Biomet Holdings' prior ROCE against its prior performance, but the future is arguably more important. If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free analyst report for Zimmer Biomet Holdings .
What Does the ROCE Trend For Zimmer Biomet Holdings Tell Us?
Zimmer Biomet Holdings is showing promise given that its ROCE is trending up and to the right. The figures show that over the last five years, ROCE has grown 34% whilst employing roughly the same amount of capital. So it's likely that the business is now reaping the full benefits of its past investments, since the capital employed hasn't changed considerably. It's worth looking deeper into this though because while it's great that the business is more efficient, it might also mean that going forward the areas to invest internally for the organic growth are lacking.
The Bottom Line
To sum it up, Zimmer Biomet Holdings is collecting higher returns from the same amount of capital, and that's impressive. Since the stock has only returned 10% to shareholders over the last five years, the promising fundamentals may not be recognized yet by investors. So exploring more about this stock could uncover a good opportunity, if the valuation and other metrics stack up.
On a separate note, we've found 1 warning sign for Zimmer Biomet Holdings you'll probably want to know about.
If you want to search for solid companies with great earnings, check out this free list of companies with good balance sheets and impressive returns on equity.
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.
