How Do ReneSola Ltd’s (NYSE:SOL) Returns On Capital Compare To Peers?

Today we'll evaluate ReneSola Ltd (NYSE:SOL) to determine whether it could have potential as an investment idea. 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. Next, we'll compare it to others in its industry. Then we'll determine how its current liabilities are affecting its ROCE.

Return On Capital Employed (ROCE): What is it?

ROCE is a metric for evaluating how much pre-tax income (in percentage terms) a company earns on the capital invested in its business. All else being equal, a better business will have a higher ROCE. Overall, it is a valuable metric that has its flaws. Author Edwin Whiting says to be careful when comparing the ROCE of different businesses, since 'No two businesses are exactly alike.'

How Do You Calculate Return On Capital Employed?

Analysts use this formula to calculate return on capital employed:

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

Or for ReneSola:

0.064 = US$16m ÷ (US$378m - US$134m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2018.)

So, ReneSola has an ROCE of 6.4%.

View our latest analysis for ReneSola

Is ReneSola's ROCE Good?

When making comparisons between similar businesses, investors may find ROCE useful. We can see ReneSola's ROCE is meaningfully below the Semiconductor industry average of 12%. This performance could be negative if sustained, as it suggests the business may underperform its industry. Aside from the industry comparison, ReneSola's ROCE is mediocre in absolute terms, considering the risk of investing in stocks versus the safety of a bank account. It is possible that there are more rewarding investments out there.

Remember that this metric is backwards looking - it shows what has happened in the past, and does not accurately predict the future. Companies in cyclical industries can be difficult to understand using ROCE, as returns typically look high during boom times, and low during busts. ROCE is only a point-in-time measure. Future performance is what matters, and you can see analyst predictions in our free report on analyst forecasts for the company.

What Are Current Liabilities, And How Do They Affect ReneSola's ROCE?

Short term (or current) liabilities, are things like supplier invoices, overdrafts, or tax bills 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 counteract this, we check if a company has high current liabilities, relative to its total assets.

ReneSola has total liabilities of US$134m and total assets of US$378m. Therefore its current liabilities are equivalent to approximately 35% of its total assets. ReneSola's ROCE is improved somewhat by its moderate amount of current liabilities.

Our Take On ReneSola's ROCE

With this level of liabilities and a mediocre ROCE, there are potentially better investments out there. Of course, you might also be able to find a better stock than ReneSola. So you may wish to see this free collection of other companies that have grown earnings strongly.