Return on Invested Capital (ROIC) Calculator

Profitability
Updated Apr 2026 Has calculator

Measures how efficiently a company generates profit from all capital invested by shareholders and debt-holders.

Calculate ROIC

Operating income × (1 − effective tax rate), in millions of USD

Total equity + interest-bearing debt − excess cash, in millions of USD

Return on Invested Capital

Not investment advice.

What is ROIC?

Return on Invested Capital (ROIC) divides Net Operating Profit After Tax (NOPAT) by invested capital — the sum of equity and interest-bearing debt minus excess cash. Unlike ROE, ROIC is capital-structure-neutral, making it a preferred metric for comparing businesses with different debt levels. A company that consistently earns an ROIC above its cost of capital (WACC) is creating shareholder value; one that earns below WACC is destroying it.

Formula

ROIC = (NOPAT ÷ Invested Capital) × 100

Worked Example

Worked example — Microsoft Corp. (MSFT)

FY2024

Step 1  Operating income: $109,433M × (1 − 18% tax rate) = NOPAT $89,735M
Step 2  Invested capital: $268,477M equity + $50,617M debt − $75,484M cash = $243,610M
Step 3  ROIC = $89,735M ÷ $243,610M × 100 = 36.84%
Step 4  → Microsoft generates $0.37 of after-tax operating profit per $1.00 of invested capital

Source: Microsoft 10-K FY2024 (2024-07-30)

How to Interpret ROIC

< 8
Below cost of capital — likely destroying value
8 – 15
Average — modest value creation
15 – 30
Strong — clear economic profit above cost of capital
> 30
Exceptional — wide-moat franchise with pricing power

📚 Return Metrics — Complete the path

  1. ROA
  2. ROIC
  3. DuPont 3-Step
  4. BVPS
  5. Altman Z-Score