ABM Industries Insights: Return On Capital Employed

ABM Industries ABM posted a 54.15% decrease in earnings from Q1. Sales, however, increased by 0.34% over the previous quarter to $1.50 billion. Despite the increase in sales this quarter, the decrease in earnings may suggest ABM Industries is not utilizing their capital as effectively as possible. ABM Industries reached earnings of $109.70 million and sales of $1.49 billion in Q1.

What Is ROCE?

Return on Capital Employed is a measure of yearly pre-tax profit relative to capital employed by a business. Changes in earnings and sales indicate shifts in a company's ROCE. A higher ROCE is generally representative of successful growth of a company and is a sign of higher earnings per share in the future. A low or negative ROCE suggests the opposite. In Q2, ABM Industries posted an ROCE of 0.03%.

Keep in mind, while ROCE is a good measure of a company's recent performance, it is not a highly reliable predictor of a company's earnings or sales in the near future.

Return on Capital Employed is an important measurement of efficiency and a useful tool when comparing companies that operate in the same industry. A relatively high ROCE indicates a company may be generating profits that can be reinvested into more capital, leading to higher returns and growing EPS for shareholders.

In ABM Industries's case, the positive ROCE ratio will be something investors pay attention to before making long-term financial decisions.