What trends should we look for it we want to identify stocks that can multiply in value over the long term? One common approach is to try and find a company with returns on capital employed (ROCE) that are increasing, in conjunction with a growing amount of capital employed. Basically this means that a company has profitable initiatives that it can continue to reinvest in, which is a trait of a compounding machine. Having said that, while the ROCE is currently high for Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX), we aren't jumping out of our chairs because returns are decreasing.

Return On Capital Employed (ROCE): What Is It?

If you haven't worked with ROCE before, it measures the 'return' (pre-tax profit) a company generates from capital employed in its business. To calculate this metric for Starbucks, this is the formula:

Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)

0.22 = US$4.8b ÷ (US$32b - US$9.7b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2024).

So, Starbucks has an ROCE of 22%. That's a fantastic return and not only that, it outpaces the average of 9.6% earned by companies in a similar industry.

See our latest analysis for Starbucks

In the above chart we have measured Starbucks' prior ROCE against its prior performance, but the future is arguably more important. If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free analyst report for Starbucks .

What The Trend Of ROCE Can Tell Us

Over the past five years, Starbucks' ROCE and capital employed have both remained mostly flat. Businesses with these traits tend to be mature and steady operations because they're past the growth phase. Although current returns are high, we'd need more evidence of underlying growth for it to look like a multi-bagger going forward. That being the case, it makes sense that Starbucks has been paying out 65% of its earnings to its shareholders. If the company is in fact lacking growth opportunities, that's one of the viable alternatives for the money.

The Key Takeaway

In summary, Starbucks isn't compounding its earnings but is generating decent returns on the same amount of capital employed. Although the market must be expecting these trends to improve because the stock has gained 88% over the last five years. However, unless these underlying trends turn more positive, we wouldn't get our hopes up too high.

One more thing: We've identified 3 warning signs with Starbucks (at least 1 which can't be ignored) , and understanding them would certainly be useful.

If you want to search for more stocks that have been earning high returns, check out this free list of stocks with solid balance sheets that are also earning high returns on equity.

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.