ROIC % measures how well a company generates cash flow relative to the capital it has invested in its business. It is also called ROC %. SoundHound AI's annualized return on invested capital (ROIC %) for the quarter that ended in Mar. 2026 was -60.61%.
As of today (2026-06-26), SoundHound AI's WACC % is 33.53%. SoundHound AI's ROIC % is -52.66% (calculated using TTM income statement data).
SoundHound AI earns returns that do not match up to its cost of capital. It will destroy value as it grows.
SoundHound AI (NAS:SOUN) ROIC % Explanation
ROIC % measures how well a company generates cash flow relative to the capital it has invested in its business. It is also called ROC %. The reason book values of debt and equity are used is because the book values are the capital the company received when issuing the debt or receiving the equity investments.
There are four key components to this definition. The first is the use of operating income or EBIT rather than net income in the numerator. The second is the tax adjustment to this operating income or EBIT, computed as a hypothetical tax based on an effective or marginal tax rate. The third is the use of book values for invested capital, rather than market values. The final is the timing difference; the capital invested is from the end of the prior year whereas the operating income or EBIT is the current year's number.
Why is ROIC % important?
Because it costs money to raise capital. A firm that generates higher returns on investment than it costs the company to raise the capital needed for that investment is earning excess returns. A firm that expects to continue generating positive excess returns on new investments in the future will see its value increase as growth increases, whereas a firm that earns returns that do not match up to its cost of capital will destroy value as it grows.
As of today, SoundHound AI's WACC % is 33.53%. SoundHound AI's ROIC % is -52.66% (calculated using TTM income statement data).
SoundHound AI earns returns that do not match up to its cost of capital. It will destroy value as it grows.
Be Aware
Like ROE % and ROA %, ROIC % is calculated with only 12 months of data. Fluctuations in the company's earnings or business cycles can affect the ratio drastically. It is important to look at the ratio from a long term perspective.
SoundHound AI ROIC % Related Terms
SoundHound AI ROIC % Historical Data
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The historical data trend for SoundHound AI's ROIC % can be seen below:
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
For the Software - Application subindustry, SoundHound AI's ROIC %, along with its competitors' market caps and ROIC % data, can be viewed below:
* Competitive companies are chosen from companies within the same industry, with headquarter located in same country, with closest market capitalization; x-axis shows the market cap, and y-axis shows the term value; the bigger the dot, the larger the market cap. Note that "N/A" values will not show up in the chart.
SoundHound AI ROIC % vs Software Industry
For the Software industry and Technology sector, SoundHound AI's ROIC % distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where SoundHound AI's ROIC % falls into.
Note:
The Operating Income data used here is four times the quarterly (Mar. 2026) data.
The tax rate is limited to between 0% and 100%.
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
SoundHound AI (SOUN) has a ROIC % of -60.61% as of Mar. 2026. Return on invested capital is the ratio of current-period net income to average two-period invested capital. View historical data on SoundHound AI and its competitors.
Is SoundHound AI's ROIC % too high?
SoundHound AI's current ROIC % is -60.61%. Overall, SoundHound AI has a GF Score™ of 72/100 and is considered Possible Value Trap, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does SoundHound AI's ROIC % compare to SRAD and BILL?
SoundHound AI's ROIC % of -60.61% can be compared against companies in the Software industry. The industry median ROIC % is 3.11. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good ROIC % for a Software company?
The median ROIC % among Software companies is 3.11, based on 2,830 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a ROIC % significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, ROIC % should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. Use the industry distribution chart on this page to see where any company falls relative to its peers.
What does a high ROIC % mean?
A high ROIC % can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. Return on invested capital is the ratio of current-period net income to average two-period invested capital. View historical data on SoundHound AI and its competitors. For the Software industry, the median ROIC % is 3.11 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. SoundHound AI's current ROIC % is -60.61%. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is SoundHound AI stock overvalued right now?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, SoundHound AI (SOUN) is currently considered Possible Value Trap. The stock's GF Value™ is $11.68, compared to a current price of $6.32 — trading 45.9% below its estimated fair value. The current ROIC % is -60.61%. SoundHound AI's overall GF Score™ is 72/100 with 4 warning signs to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is ROIC % calculated?
ROIC % is calculated from a company's financial statements. For SoundHound AI (SOUN), the current ROIC % is -60.61% as of Mar. 2026. GuruFocus calculates this using data sourced from SEC filings and annual reports. See the calculation section and 30-year financial data on this page for the full breakdown.
Is SoundHound AI (SOUN) Overvalued in 2026?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, SoundHound AI stock appears to be undervalued.
The current stock price of $6.32 is trading 45.9% below its estimated GF Value™ of $11.68.
GuruFocus considers SoundHound AI to be Possible Value Trap.
Key valuation signals for SOUN:
ROIC %: -60.61%
GF Value™: $11.68 vs. price of $6.32 (45.9% below fair value)
No single metric tells the full story. See the SOUN stock analysis page for a complete view including 30-year financials, guru trades, and insider activity.
SoundHound AI Inc is an innovator of conversational intelligence, offering an independent Voice AI platform that enables businesses across industries to deliver high-quality conversational experiences to customers. The company's voice AI delivers speed and accuracy in numerous languages to product creators and service providers across retail, financial services, healthcare, automotive, smart devices, and restaurants via groundbreaking AI-driven products like Smart Answering, Smart Ordering, Dynamic Drive-Thru, and Amelia AI Agents.
72GF Score
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