Return On Capital Employed Overview: Jack In The Box

Looking at Q2, Jack In The Box JACK earned $63.15 million, a 27.72% increase from the preceding quarter. Jack In The Box's sales decreased to $257.22 million, a 24.02% change since Q1. In Q1, Jack In The Box earned $87.37 million, and total sales reached $338.54 million.

Why ROCE Is Significant

Return on Capital Employed is a measure of yearly pre-tax profit relative to capital employed by a business. Changes in earnings and sales indicate shifts in a company's ROCE. A higher ROCE is generally representative of successful growth of a company and is a sign of higher earnings per share in the future. A low or negative ROCE suggests the opposite. In Q2, Jack In The Box posted an ROCE of -0.08%.

Keep in mind, while ROCE is a good measure of a company's recent performance, it is not a highly reliable predictor of a company's earnings or sales in the near future.

Return on Capital Employed is an important measurement of efficiency and a useful tool when comparing companies that operate in the same industry. A relatively high ROCE indicates a company may be generating profits that can be reinvested into more capital, leading to higher returns and growing EPS for shareholders.

For Jack In The Box, the return on capital employed ratio shows the current amount of assets may not actually be helping the company achieve higher returns, a note many investors will take into account when making long-term financial decisions.

Q2 Earnings Recap

Jack In The Box reported Q2 earnings per share at $1.48/share, which beat analyst predictions of $1.29/share.