Evaluating Wang Yang Holdings Limited’s (HKG:1735) Investments In Its Business

Today we’ll evaluate Wang Yang Holdings Limited (HKG:1735) to determine whether it could have potential as an investment idea. Specifically, we’ll consider its Return On Capital Employed (ROCE), since that will give us an insight into how efficiently the business can generate profits from the capital it requires.

First, we’ll go over how we calculate ROCE. Next, we’ll compare it to others in its industry. And finally, we’ll look at how its current liabilities are impacting its ROCE.

Understanding Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)

ROCE measures the amount of pre-tax profits a company can generate from the capital employed in its business. All else being equal, a better business will have a higher ROCE. Ultimately, it is a useful but imperfect metric. Author Edwin Whiting says to be careful when comparing the ROCE of different businesses, since ‘No two businesses are exactly alike.’

How Do You Calculate Return On Capital Employed?

Analysts use this formula to calculate return on capital employed:

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

Or for Wang Yang Holdings:

0.13 = HK$25m ÷ (HK$207m – HK$17m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2018.)

Therefore, Wang Yang Holdings has an ROCE of 13%.

See our latest analysis for Wang Yang Holdings

Is Wang Yang Holdings’s ROCE Good?

ROCE can be useful when making comparisons, such as between similar companies. Using our data, Wang Yang Holdings’s ROCE appears to be around the 14% average of the Construction industry. Regardless of where Wang Yang Holdings sits next to its industry, its ROCE in absolute terms appears satisfactory, and this company could be worth a closer look.

Wang Yang Holdings’s current ROCE of 13% is lower than 3 years ago, when the company reported a 39% ROCE. This makes us wonder if the business is facing new challenges.

When considering this metric, keep in mind that it is backwards looking, and not necessarily predictive. ROCE can be deceptive for cyclical businesses, as returns can look incredible in boom times, and terribly low in downturns. ROCE is only a point-in-time measure. How cyclical is Wang Yang Holdings? You can see for yourself by looking at this free graph of past earnings, revenue and cash flow.

What Are Current Liabilities, And How Do They Affect Wang Yang Holdings’s ROCE?

Liabilities, such as supplier bills and bank overdrafts, are referred to as current liabilities if they need to be paid within 12 months. Due to the way ROCE is calculated, a high level of current liabilities makes a company look as though it has less capital employed, and thus can (sometimes unfairly) boost the ROCE. To check the impact of this, we calculate if a company has high current liabilities relative to its total assets.

Wang Yang Holdings has total liabilities of HK$17m and total assets of HK$207m. As a result, its current liabilities are equal to approximately 8.4% of its total assets. With low current liabilities, Wang Yang Holdings’s decent ROCE looks that much more respectable.

Our Take On Wang Yang Holdings’s ROCE

If it is able to keep this up, Wang Yang Holdings could be attractive. But note: Wang Yang Holdings may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with strong recent earnings growth (and a P/E ratio below 20).

If you are like me, then you will not want to miss this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying.

We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. 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. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.