Looking Into Vroom's Return On Capital Employed

In Q1, Vroom VRM posted sales of $591.12 million. Earnings were up 27.2%, but Vroom still reported an overall loss of $75.53 million. Vroom collected $405.83 million in revenue during Q4, but reported earnings showed a $59.38 million loss.

Why ROCE Is Significant

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 Q1, Vroom posted an ROCE of -0.06%.

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.

For Vroom, the return on capital employed ratio shows the current amount of assets may not actually be helping the company achieve higher returns, a note many investors will take into account when making long-term financial decisions.

Q1 Earnings Recap

Vroom reported Q1 earnings per share at $-0.57/share, which beat analyst predictions of $-0.63/share.