Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) Is Employing Capital Very Effectively

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Today we’ll look at Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) and reflect on its potential as an investment. To be precise, we’ll consider its Return On Capital Employed (ROCE), as that will inform our view of the quality of the business.

First, we’ll go over how we calculate ROCE. Then we’ll compare its ROCE to similar companies. And finally, we’ll look at how its current liabilities are impacting its ROCE.

What is Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)?

ROCE is a measure of a company’s yearly pre-tax profit (its return), relative to the capital employed in the business. In general, businesses with a higher ROCE are usually better quality. In brief, it is a useful tool, but it is not without drawbacks. Renowned investment researcher Michael Mauboussin has suggested that a high ROCE can indicate that ‘one dollar invested in the company generates value of more than one dollar’.

So, How Do We Calculate ROCE?

The formula for calculating the return on capital employed is:

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

Or for Brinker International:

0.30 = US$260m ÷ (US$1.3b – US$488m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2018.)

So, Brinker International has an ROCE of 30%.

Check out our latest analysis for Brinker International

Does Brinker International Have A Good ROCE?

ROCE is commonly used for comparing the performance of similar businesses. In our analysis, Brinker International’s ROCE is meaningfully higher than the 9.7% average in the Hospitality industry. I think that’s good to see, since it implies the company is better than other companies at making the most of its capital. Putting aside its position relative to its industry for now, in absolute terms, Brinker International’s ROCE is currently very good.

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When considering ROCE, bear in mind that it reflects the past and does not necessarily predict the future. ROCE can be misleading for companies in cyclical industries, with returns looking impressive during the boom times, but very weak during the busts. This is because ROCE only looks at one year, instead of considering returns across a whole cycle. Since the future is so important for investors, you should check out our free report on analyst forecasts for Brinker International.

How Brinker International’s Current Liabilities Impact Its ROCE

Current liabilities include invoices, such as supplier payments, short-term debt, or a tax bill, that need to be paid within 12 months. Due to the way the ROCE equation works, having large bills due in the near term can make it look as though a company has less capital employed, and thus a higher ROCE than usual. To check the impact of this, we calculate if a company has high current liabilities relative to its total assets.

Brinker International has total liabilities of US$488m and total assets of US$1.3b. As a result, its current liabilities are equal to approximately 38% of its total assets. A medium level of current liabilities boosts Brinker International’s ROCE somewhat.

Our Take On Brinker International’s ROCE

Still, it has a high ROCE, and may be an interesting prospect for further research. Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking at a few good candidates. So take a peek at this free list of companies with modest (or no) debt, trading on a P/E below 20.