If you're looking at a mature business that's past the growth phase, what are some of the underlying trends that pop up? More often than not, we'll see a declining return on capital employed (ROCE) and a declining amount of capital employed. This combination can tell you that not only is the company investing less, it's earning less on what it does invest. So after glancing at the trends within Atlantica Sustainable Infrastructure (NASDAQ:AY), we weren't too hopeful.

Understanding Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)

For those who don't know, ROCE is a measure of a company's yearly pre-tax profit (its return), relative to the capital employed in the business. Analysts use this formula to calculate it for Atlantica Sustainable Infrastructure:

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

0.032 = US$267m ÷ (US$8.9b - US$619m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2023).

So, Atlantica Sustainable Infrastructure has an ROCE of 3.2%. Even though it's in line with the industry average of 3.2%, it's still a low return by itself.

See our latest analysis for Atlantica Sustainable Infrastructure

Above you can see how the current ROCE for Atlantica Sustainable Infrastructure compares to its prior returns on capital, but there's only so much you can tell from the past. If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free report for Atlantica Sustainable Infrastructure.

How Are Returns Trending?

In terms of Atlantica Sustainable Infrastructure's historical ROCE movements, the trend doesn't inspire confidence. About five years ago, returns on capital were 4.6%, however they're now substantially lower than that as we saw above. On top of that, it's worth noting that the amount of capital employed within the business has remained relatively steady. This combination can be indicative of a mature business that still has areas to deploy capital, but the returns received aren't as high due potentially to new competition or smaller margins. If these trends continue, we wouldn't expect Atlantica Sustainable Infrastructure to turn into a multi-bagger.

The Bottom Line

In summary, it's unfortunate that Atlantica Sustainable Infrastructure is generating lower returns from the same amount of capital. But investors must be expecting an improvement of sorts because over the last five yearsthe stock has delivered a respectable 45% return. Regardless, we don't feel too comfortable with the fundamentals so we'd be steering clear of this stock for now.

Since virtually every company faces some risks, it's worth knowing what they are, and we've spotted 3 warning signs for Atlantica Sustainable Infrastructure (of which 1 can't be ignored!) that you should 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.