Stericycle Earnings Perspective: Return On Invested Capital

According to data from Benzinga Pro, during Q4, Stericycle's SRCL reported sales totaled $657.30 million. Despite a 75.11% increase in earnings, the company posted a loss of $16.40 million. In Q3, Stericycle brought in $648.90 million in sales but lost $65.90 million in earnings.

What Is Return On Invested Capital?

Return on Invested Capital is a measure of yearly pre-tax profit relative to capital invested by a business. Changes in earnings and sales indicate shifts in a company's ROIC. A higher ROIC 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 ROIC suggests the opposite. In Q4, Stericycle posted an ROIC of -0.98%.

Keep in mind, while ROIC 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.

Earnings data without context is not clear and can difficult to base trading decisions on. Return on Invested Capital (ROIC) helps to filter signal from noise by measuring yearly pre-tax profit relative to invested capital by a business. Generally, a higher ROIC suggests successful growth of a company and is a sign of higher earnings per share in the future. In Q4, Stericycle posted an ROIC of -0.98%.

It is important to keep in mind that ROIC evaluates past performance and is not used as a predictive tool. It is a good measure of a company's recent performance, but does not account for factors that could affect earnings and sales in the near future.

For Stericycle, a negative ROIC ratio of -0.98% suggests that management may not be effectively allocating their capital. Effective capital allocation is a positive indicator that a company will achieve more durable success and favorable long-term returns; poor capital allocation can be a leech on the performance of a company over time.

Upcoming Earnings Estimate

Stericycle reported Q4 earnings per share at $0.38/share, which did not meet analyst predictions of $0.47/share.

This article was generated by Benzinga's automated content engine and reviewed by an editor.