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Can Pan African Resources (LON:PAF) Continue To Grow Its Returns On Capital?

There are a few key trends to look for if we want to identify the next multi-bagger. 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. Speaking of which, we noticed some great changes in Pan African Resources' (LON:PAF) returns on capital, so let's have a look.

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 Pan African Resources is:

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

0.18 = US$61m ÷ (US$405m - US$63m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2019).

So, Pan African Resources has an ROCE of 18%. On its own, that's a standard return, however it's much better than the 12% generated by the Metals and Mining industry.

View our latest analysis for Pan African Resources

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In the above chart we have a measured Pan African Resources' prior ROCE against its prior performance, but the future is arguably more important. If you'd like, you can check out the forecasts from the analysts covering Pan African Resources here for free.

What Does the ROCE Trend For Pan African Resources Tell Us?

Pan African Resources' ROCE growth is quite impressive. Looking at the data, we can see that even though capital employed in the business has remained relatively flat, the ROCE generated has risen by 114% over the last five years. Basically the business is generating higher returns from the same amount of capital and that is proof that there are improvements in the company's efficiencies. The company is doing well in that sense, and it's worth investigating what the management team has planned for long term growth prospects.

The Bottom Line On Pan African Resources' ROCE

In summary, we're delighted to see that Pan African Resources has been able to increase efficiencies and earn higher rates of return on the same amount of capital. Since the stock has returned a staggering 284% to shareholders over the last five years, it looks like investors are recognizing these changes. In light of that, we think it's worth looking further into this stock because if Pan African Resources can keep these trends up, it could have a bright future ahead.

One more thing to note, we've identified 3 warning signs with Pan African Resources and understanding these should be part of your investment process.

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.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. 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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