To avoid investing in a business that's in decline, there's a few financial metrics that can provide early indications of aging. Businesses in decline often have two underlying trends, firstly, a declining return on capital employed (ROCE) and a declining base of capital employed. This combination can tell you that not only is the company investing less, it's earning less on what it does invest. So after we looked into Nu Skin Enterprises (NYSE:NUS), the trends above didn't look too great.

Return On Capital Employed (ROCE): What Is It?

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. To calculate this metric for Nu Skin Enterprises, this is the formula:

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

0.12 = US$150m ÷ (US$1.6b - US$339m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2024).

Thus, Nu Skin Enterprises has an ROCE of 12%. In absolute terms, that's a pretty normal return, and it's somewhat close to the Personal Products industry average of 14%.

In the above chart we have measured Nu Skin Enterprises' prior ROCE against its prior performance, but the future is arguably more important. If you're interested, you can view the analysts predictions in our free analyst report for Nu Skin Enterprises .

The Trend Of ROCE

In terms of Nu Skin Enterprises' historical ROCE movements, the trend doesn't inspire confidence. To be more specific, the ROCE was 23% five years ago, but since then it has dropped noticeably. And on the capital employed front, the business is utilizing roughly the same amount of capital as it was back then. Companies that exhibit these attributes tend to not be shrinking, but they can be mature and facing pressure on their margins from competition. If these trends continue, we wouldn't expect Nu Skin Enterprises to turn into a multi-bagger.

The Key Takeaway

In the end, the trend of lower returns on the same amount of capital isn't typically an indication that we're looking at a growth stock. We expect this has contributed to the stock plummeting 76% during the last five years. Unless there is a shift to a more positive trajectory in these metrics, we would look elsewhere.

Nu Skin Enterprises does have some risks though, and we've spotted 1 warning sign for Nu Skin Enterprises that you might be interested in.

For those who like to invest in solid companies, check out this free list 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.