What financial metrics can indicate to us that a company is maturing or even in decline? A business that's potentially in decline often shows two trends, a return on capital employed (ROCE) that's declining, and a base of capital employed that's also declining. This combination can tell you that not only is the company investing less, it's earning less on what it does invest. And from a first read, things don't look too good at C.H. Robinson Worldwide (NASDAQ:CHRW), so let's see why.

What Is Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)?

For those that aren't sure what ROCE is, it measures the amount of pre-tax profits a company can generate from the capital employed in its business. Analysts use this formula to calculate it for C.H. Robinson Worldwide:

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

0.17 = US$554m ÷ (US$5.5b - US$2.2b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2024).

Thus, C.H. Robinson Worldwide has an ROCE of 17%. On its own, that's a standard return, however it's much better than the 9.5% generated by the Logistics industry.

In the above chart we have measured C.H. Robinson Worldwide's prior ROCE against its prior performance, but the future is arguably more important. If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free analyst report for C.H. Robinson Worldwide .

So How Is C.H. Robinson Worldwide's ROCE Trending?

In terms of C.H. Robinson Worldwide's historical ROCE movements, the trend doesn't inspire confidence. About five years ago, returns on capital were 30%, however they're now substantially lower than that as we saw above. Meanwhile, capital employed in the business has stayed roughly the flat over the period. Since returns are falling and the business has the same amount of assets employed, this can suggest it's a mature business that hasn't had much growth in the last five years. So because these trends aren't typically conducive to creating a multi-bagger, we wouldn't hold our breath on C.H. Robinson Worldwide becoming one if things continue as they have.

Another thing to note, C.H. Robinson Worldwide has a high ratio of current liabilities to total assets of 41%. This effectively means that suppliers (or short-term creditors) are funding a large portion of the business, so just be aware that this can introduce some elements of risk. While it's not necessarily a bad thing, it can be beneficial if this ratio is lower.

Our Take On C.H. Robinson Worldwide's ROCE

In summary, it's unfortunate that C.H. Robinson Worldwide is generating lower returns from the same amount of capital. In spite of that, the stock has delivered a 32% return to shareholders who held over the last five years. Regardless, we don't like the trends as they are and if they persist, we think you might find better investments elsewhere.

On a separate note, we've found 3 warning signs for C.H. Robinson Worldwide you'll probably want to know about.

If you want to search for solid companies with great earnings, check out this free list of companies with good balance sheets and impressive 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.