There are a few key trends to look for if we want to identify the next multi-bagger. Amongst other things, we'll want to see two things; firstly, a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and secondly, an expansion in the company's amount of capital employed. Put simply, these types of businesses are compounding machines, meaning they are continually reinvesting their earnings at ever-higher rates of return. So when we looked at Sichuan Jiuzhou Electronic (SZSE:000801) and its trend of ROCE, we really liked what we saw.

What Is Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)?

For those that aren't sure what ROCE is, it measures the amount of pre-tax profits a company can generate from the capital employed in its business. The formula for this calculation on Sichuan Jiuzhou Electronic is:

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

0.065 = CN¥221m ÷ (CN¥6.3b - CN¥2.9b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2023).

So, Sichuan Jiuzhou Electronic has an ROCE of 6.5%. On its own, that's a low figure but it's around the 8.0% average generated by the Consumer Durables industry.

See our latest analysis for Sichuan Jiuzhou Electronic

In the above chart we have measured Sichuan Jiuzhou Electronic's prior ROCE against its prior performance, but the future is arguably more important. If you're interested, you can view the analysts predictions in our free report on analyst forecasts for the company.

What The Trend Of ROCE Can Tell Us

We're glad to see that ROCE is heading in the right direction, even if it is still low at the moment. The numbers show that in the last five years, the returns generated on capital employed have grown considerably to 6.5%. The amount of capital employed has increased too, by 33%. The increasing returns on a growing amount of capital is common amongst multi-baggers and that's why we're impressed.

Another thing to note, Sichuan Jiuzhou Electronic has a high ratio of current liabilities to total assets of 46%. This can bring about some risks because the company is basically operating with a rather large reliance on its suppliers or other sorts of short-term creditors. Ideally we'd like to see this reduce as that would mean fewer obligations bearing risks.

The Bottom Line

All in all, it's terrific to see that Sichuan Jiuzhou Electronic is reaping the rewards from prior investments and is growing its capital base. And with the stock having performed exceptionally well over the last five years, these patterns are being accounted for by investors. With that being said, we still think the promising fundamentals mean the company deserves some further due diligence.

If you'd like to know about the risks facing Sichuan Jiuzhou Electronic, we've discovered 2 warning signs that you should be aware of.

While Sichuan Jiuzhou Electronic may not currently earn the highest returns, we've compiled a list of companies that currently earn more than 25% return on equity. Check out this free list here.

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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.