LivePerson's Return On Capital Employed Overview

According to Benzinga Pro data, during Q4, LivePerson LPSN posted sales of $122.48 million. Earnings were up 3.52%, but LivePerson still reported an overall loss of $41.72 million. In Q3, LivePerson brought in $129.56 million in sales but lost $43.25 million in earnings.

Why Is ROCE Significant?

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, LivePerson posted an ROCE of -0.61%.

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 LivePerson 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 LivePerson, a negative ROCE ratio of -0.61% 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

LivePerson reported Q4 earnings per share at $-0.25/share, which beat analyst predictions of $-0.35/share.

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