What financial metrics can indicate to us that a company is maturing or even in decline? Businesses in decline often have two underlying trends, firstly, a declining return on capital employed (ROCE) and a declining base of capital employed. Ultimately this means that the company is earning less per dollar invested and on top of that, it's shrinking its base of capital employed. So after glancing at the trends within Knowles (NYSE:KN), we weren't too hopeful.

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. Analysts use this formula to calculate it for Knowles:

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

0.04 = US$52m ÷ (US$1.5b - US$165m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2023).

So, Knowles has an ROCE of 4.0%.  Ultimately, that's a low return and it under-performs the Electronic industry average of 11%.

View our latest analysis for Knowles  roce

Above you can see how the current ROCE for Knowles compares to its prior returns on capital, but there's only so much you can tell from the past. If you'd like, you can check out the forecasts from the analysts covering Knowles  for free.

How Are Returns Trending?

There is reason to be cautious about Knowles, given the returns are trending downwards. To be more specific, the ROCE was 5.8% five years ago, but since then it has dropped noticeably. And on the capital employed front, the business is utilizing roughly the same amount of capital as it was back then. This combination can be indicative of a mature business that still has areas to deploy capital, but the returns received aren't as high due potentially to new competition or smaller margins. If these trends continue, we wouldn't expect Knowles to turn into a multi-bagger.

The Bottom Line

In summary, it's unfortunate that Knowles is generating lower returns from the same amount of capital. Investors haven't taken kindly to these developments, since the stock has declined 13% from where it was five years ago. Unless there is a shift to a more positive trajectory in these metrics, we would look elsewhere.



If you'd like to know about the risks facing Knowles, we've discovered 1 warning sign that you should be aware of.

For those who like to invest in solid companies, check out this freelist of companies with solid balance sheets and 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.