When researching a stock for investment, what can tell us that the company is in decline? Typically, we'll see the trend of both return on capital employed (ROCE) declining and this usually coincides with a decreasing amount of capital employed. Ultimately this means that the company is earning less per dollar invested and on top of that, it's shrinking its base of capital employed. On that note, looking into Zhou Hei Ya International Holdings (HKG:1458), we weren't too upbeat about how things were going.

What Is Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)?

If you haven't worked with ROCE before, it measures the 'return' (pre-tax profit) a company generates from capital employed in its business. The formula for this calculation on Zhou Hei Ya International Holdings is:

Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)

0.01 = CN¥49m ÷ (CN¥5.7b - CN¥915m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2022).

So, Zhou Hei Ya International Holdings has an ROCE of 1.0%. In absolute terms, that's a low return and it also under-performs the Food industry average of 9.8%.

Check out our latest analysis for Zhou Hei Ya International Holdings

Above you can see how the current ROCE for Zhou Hei Ya International Holdings compares to its prior returns on capital, but there's only so much you can tell from the past. If you're interested, you can view the analysts predictions in our free report on analyst forecasts for the company.

What Does the ROCE Trend For Zhou Hei Ya International Holdings Tell Us?

There is reason to be cautious about Zhou Hei Ya International Holdings, given the returns are trending downwards. About five years ago, returns on capital were 22%, however they're now substantially lower than that as we saw above. Meanwhile, capital employed in the business has stayed roughly the flat over the period. Since returns are falling and the business has the same amount of assets employed, this can suggest it's a mature business that hasn't had much growth in the last five years. So because these trends aren't typically conducive to creating a multi-bagger, we wouldn't hold our breath on Zhou Hei Ya International Holdings becoming one if things continue as they have.

The Bottom Line On Zhou Hei Ya International Holdings' ROCE

All in all, the lower returns from the same amount of capital employed aren't exactly signs of a compounding machine. Long term shareholders who've owned the stock over the last five years have experienced a 34% depreciation in their investment, so it appears the market might not like these trends either. Unless there is a shift to a more positive trajectory in these metrics, we would look elsewhere.

If you'd like to know about the risks facing Zhou Hei Ya International Holdings, we've discovered 2 warning signs that you should be aware of.

While Zhou Hei Ya International Holdings isn't earning the highest return, check out this free list of companies that are earning high returns on equity with solid balance sheets.

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.