Cheniere Energy's Return on Invested Capital Overview

According to Benzinga Pro data, during Q1, Cheniere Energy LNG posted sales of $7.48 billion. Earnings were up 28.28%, but Cheniere Energy still reported an overall loss of $781.00 million. Cheniere Energy collected $6.56 billion in revenue during Q4, but reported earnings showed a $1.09 billion loss.

What Is Return On Invested Capital?

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 Q1, Cheniere Energy posted an ROIC of -2.43%.

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 Cheniere Energy, a negative ROIC ratio of -2.43% 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.