Looking Into JPMorgan Chase's Return On Capital Employed

JPMorgan Chase JPM showed a loss in earnings in Q2, totaling $2.87 billion. Sales, on the other hand, increased by 16.33% to $33.82 billion during Q2. In Q1, JPMorgan Chase hit $6.05 billion in earnings, but sales only totaled $29.07 billion.

What Is Return On Capital Employed?

Return on Capital Employed is a measure of yearly pre-tax profit relative to capital employed in a business. Changes in earnings and sales indicate shifts in a company's ROCE. A higher ROCE is generally representative of successful growth in a company and is a sign of higher earnings per share for shareholders in the future. A low or negative ROCE suggests the opposite.

In Q2, JPMorgan Chase posted an ROCE of -0.03%.

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 JPMorgan Chase, 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.

Analyst Predictions

JPMorgan Chase reported Q2 earnings per share at $1.38/share against analyst predictions of $1.04/share.