Return on Capital Employed

What is ROCE?

A profitability ratio measuring how efficiently a company generates profits from all capital employed in the business.

Think of it like this

Like measuring the return on everything you've put into a business - both your money and borrowed money.

Formula

ROCE = EBIT ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities) × 100
  • EBIT: Earnings before interest and taxes
  • Capital Employed: Total Assets - Current Liabilities

Why it matters

  • Measures efficiency of all capital
  • Not inflated by debt like ROE
  • Useful for capital-intensive businesses
  • Should exceed cost of capital

What's a good value?

< 10%
Poor
Not earning cost of capital
10-15%
Average
Meeting basic returns
15-25%
Good
Creating value
> 25%
Excellent
Exceptional capital efficiency

Real-world example

Industrial companies with ROCE > 15% are efficiently using their capital base.

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