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Today we are going to look at Ocean Bio-Chem, Inc. (NASDAQ:OBCI) to see whether it might be an attractive investment prospect. Specifically, we’re going to calculate its Return On Capital Employed (ROCE), in the hopes of getting some insight into the business.

First, we’ll go over how we calculate ROCE. Next, we’ll compare it to others in its industry. And finally, we’ll look at how its current liabilities are impacting its ROCE.

Understanding 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. All else being equal, a better business will have a higher ROCE. In brief, it is a useful tool, but it is not without drawbacks. 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?

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 Ocean Bio-Chem:

0.13 = US$3.7m ÷ (US$41m – US$8.1m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2018.)

So, Ocean Bio-Chem has an ROCE of 13%.

View our latest analysis for Ocean Bio-Chem

Is Ocean Bio-Chem’s ROCE Good?

ROCE is commonly used for comparing the performance of similar businesses. Using our data, Ocean Bio-Chem’s ROCE appears to be around the 14% average of the Household Products industry. Separate from Ocean Bio-Chem’s performance relative to its industry, its ROCE in absolute terms looks satisfactory, and it may be worth researching in more depth.

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. If Ocean Bio-Chem is cyclical, it could make sense to check out this free graph of past earnings, revenue and cash flow.

How Ocean Bio-Chem’s Current Liabilities Impact Its ROCE

Liabilities, such as supplier bills and bank overdrafts, are referred to as current liabilities if they 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.