When researching a stock for investment, what can tell us that the company is in decline? A business that's potentially in decline often shows two trends, a return on capital employed (ROCE) that's declining, and a base of capital employed that's also declining. This combination can tell you that not only is the company investing less, it's earning less on what it does invest. And from a first read, things don't look too good at Genting Singapore (SGX:G13), so let's see why.

Understanding Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)

If you haven't worked with ROCE before, it measures the 'return' (pre-tax profit) a company generates from capital employed in its business. To calculate this metric for Genting Singapore, this is the formula:

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

0.077 = S$649m ÷ (S$9.1b - S$759m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2023).

Thus, Genting Singapore has an ROCE of 7.7%. In absolute terms, that's a low return, but it's much better than the Hospitality industry average of 4.1%.

In the above chart we have measured Genting Singapore's prior ROCE against its prior performance, but the future is arguably more important. If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free analyst report for Genting Singapore .

What The Trend Of ROCE Can Tell Us

In terms of Genting Singapore's historical ROCE movements, the trend doesn't inspire confidence. About five years ago, returns on capital were 10%, however they're now substantially lower than that as we saw above. Meanwhile, capital employed in the business has stayed roughly the flat over the period. 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 Genting Singapore to turn into a multi-bagger.

Our Take On Genting Singapore's ROCE

In summary, it's unfortunate that Genting Singapore is generating lower returns from the same amount of capital. Investors must expect better things on the horizon though because the stock has risen 18% in the last five years. Regardless, we don't like the trends as they are and if they persist, we think you might find better investments elsewhere.

One more thing to note, we've identified 1 warning sign with Genting Singapore and understanding this should be part of your investment process.

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.