Looking Into FuelCell Energy's Return On Capital Employed

FuelCell Energy FCEL brought in sales totaling $39.20 million during Q4 according to data provided by Benzinga Pro. However, earnings decreased 44.97%, resulting in a loss of $42.01 million. FuelCell Energy collected $43.10 million in revenue during Q3, but reported earnings showed a $28.98 million loss.

What Is Return On Capital Employed?

Earnings data without context is not clear and can be difficult to base trading decisions on. Return on Capital Employed (ROCE) helps to filter signal from noise by measuring yearly pre-tax profit relative to capital employed by a business. Generally, a higher ROCE suggests successful growth of a company and is a sign of higher earnings per share in the future. In Q4, FuelCell Energy posted an ROCE of -0.06%.

It is important to keep in mind that ROCE 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.

ROCE is a powerful metric for comparing the effectiveness of capital allocation for similar companies. A relatively high ROCE shows FuelCell Energy is potentially operating at a higher level of efficiency than other companies in its industry. If the company is generating high profits with its current level of capital, some of that money can be reinvested in more capital which will generally lead to higher returns and, ultimately, earnings per share (EPS) growth.

For FuelCell Energy, a negative ROCE ratio of -0.06% 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

FuelCell Energy reported Q4 earnings per share at $-0.11/share, which did not meet analyst predictions of $-0.07/share.

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