Benzinga | Mar 1, 2021 11:01AM EST

Return On Capital Employed Overview: Apache

Apache (NASDAQ:APA) showed a loss in earnings since Q3, totaling $99.00 million. Sales, on the other hand, increased by 12.67% to $1.29 billion during Q4. Apache reached earnings of $147.00 million and sales of $1.14 billion in Q3.

Why ROCE Is Significant

Changes in earnings and sales indicate shifts in Apache's Return on Capital Employed, a measure of yearly pre-tax profit relative to capital employed by a business. Generally, a higher ROCE suggests successful growth of a company and is a sign of higher earnings per share in the future. In Q4, Apache posted an ROCE of -2.68%.

It is important to keep in mind ROCE evaluates past performance and is not used as a predictive tool. It is a good measure of a company's recent performance, but several factors could affect earnings and 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 Apache, 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.

Q4 Earnings Recap

Apache reported Q4 earnings per share at $-0.05/share, which beat analyst predictions of $-0.11/share.