The Trend Of High Returns At Seagate Technology Holdings (NASDAQ:STX) Has Us Very Interested

If we want to find a potential multi-bagger, often there are underlying trends that can provide clues. Typically, we'll want to notice a trend of growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and alongside that, an expanding base of capital employed. Put simply, these types of businesses are compounding machines, meaning they are continually reinvesting their earnings at ever-higher rates of return. Speaking of which, we noticed some great changes in Seagate Technology Holdings' (NASDAQ:STX) returns on capital, so let's have a look.

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

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. To calculate this metric for Seagate Technology Holdings, this is the formula:

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

0.34 = US$2.1b ÷ (US$9.1b - US$2.9b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to April 2022).

Therefore, Seagate Technology Holdings has an ROCE of 34%. That's a fantastic return and not only that, it outpaces the average of 9.6% earned by companies in a similar industry.

See our latest analysis for Seagate Technology Holdings

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Above you can see how the current ROCE for Seagate Technology Holdings 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 Seagate Technology Holdings here for free.

So How Is Seagate Technology Holdings' ROCE Trending?

Seagate Technology Holdings has not disappointed with their ROCE growth. More specifically, while the company has kept capital employed relatively flat over the last five years, the ROCE has climbed 86% in that same time. 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 bring it all together, Seagate Technology Holdings has done well to increase the returns it's generating from its capital employed. And a remarkable 133% total return over the last five years tells us that investors are expecting more good things to come in the future. In light of that, we think it's worth looking further into this stock because if Seagate Technology Holdings can keep these trends up, it could have a bright future ahead.

Seagate Technology Holdings does have some risks, we noticed 3 warning signs (and 1 which is potentially serious) we think you should know about.

High returns are a key ingredient to strong performance, so check out our free list ofstocks earning high returns on equity with solid balance sheets.

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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.

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