What financial metrics can indicate to us that a company is maturing or even in decline? Typically, we'll see the trend of both return on capital employed (ROCE) declining and this usually coincides with a decreasing amount of capital employed. This indicates to us that the business is not only shrinking the size of its net assets, but its returns are falling as well. On that note, looking into Cheil Grinding Wheel Ind (KRX:001560), we weren't too upbeat about how things were going.
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 Cheil Grinding Wheel Ind is:
Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)
0.046 = ₩4.6b ÷ (₩115b - ₩15b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to March 2025).
Thus, Cheil Grinding Wheel Ind has an ROCE of 4.6%. In absolute terms, that's a low return and it also under-performs the Machinery industry average of 6.5%.
View our latest analysis for Cheil Grinding Wheel Ind
Historical performance is a great place to start when researching a stock so above you can see the gauge for Cheil Grinding Wheel Ind's ROCE against it's prior returns. If you'd like to look at how Cheil Grinding Wheel Ind has performed in the past in other metrics, you can view this free graph of Cheil Grinding Wheel Ind's past earnings, revenue and cash flow.
We are a bit worried about the trend of returns on capital at Cheil Grinding Wheel Ind. To be more specific, the ROCE was 7.7% five years ago, but since then it has dropped noticeably. On top of that, it's worth noting that the amount of capital employed within the business has remained relatively steady. Companies that exhibit these attributes tend to not be shrinking, but they can be mature and facing pressure on their margins from competition. So because these trends aren't typically conducive to creating a multi-bagger, we wouldn't hold our breath on Cheil Grinding Wheel Ind becoming one if things continue as they have.
All in all, the lower returns from the same amount of capital employed aren't exactly signs of a compounding machine. Since the stock has skyrocketed 101% over the last five years, it looks like investors have high expectations of the stock. Regardless, we don't feel too comfortable with the fundamentals so we'd be steering clear of this stock for now.
If you'd like to know about the risks facing Cheil Grinding Wheel Ind, we've discovered 3 warning signs that you should be aware of.
While Cheil Grinding Wheel Ind isn't earning the highest return, check out this free list of companies that are 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.