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. One common approach is to try and find a company with returns on capital employed (ROCE) that are increasing, in conjunction with a growing amount of capital employed. Ultimately, this demonstrates that it's a business that is reinvesting profits at increasing rates of return. In light of that, when we looked at J D Wetherspoon (LON:JDW) and its ROCE trend, we weren't exactly thrilled.

What Is Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)?

For those that aren't sure what ROCE is, it measures the amount of pre-tax profits a company can generate from the capital employed in its business. The formula for this calculation on J D Wetherspoon is:

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

0.068 = UK£107m ÷ (UK£2.0b - UK£387m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to July 2023).

Therefore, J D Wetherspoon has an ROCE of 6.8%. On its own that's a low return on capital but it's in line with the industry's average returns of 7.3%.

Check out our latest analysis for J D Wetherspoon  roce

In the above chart we have measured J D Wetherspoon's 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 J D Wetherspoon here  for free.

How Are Returns Trending?

On the surface, the trend of ROCE at J D Wetherspoon doesn't inspire confidence. To be more specific, ROCE has fallen from 11% over the last five years. However, given capital employed and revenue have both increased it appears that the business is currently pursuing growth, at the consequence of short term returns. If these investments prove successful, this can bode very well for long term stock performance.

The Bottom Line On J D Wetherspoon's ROCE

In summary, despite lower returns in the short term, we're encouraged to see that J D Wetherspoon is reinvesting for growth and has higher sales as a result. And there could be an opportunity here if other metrics look good too, because the stock has declined 26% in the last five years. So we think it'd be worthwhile to look further into this stock given the trends look encouraging.



One final note, you should learn about the  2 warning signs  we've spotted with J D Wetherspoon (including 1 which is significant) .

For those who like to invest in solid companies, check out this freelist of companies with solid balance sheets and high returns on equity.

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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.