To find a multi-bagger stock, what are the underlying trends we should look for in a business? 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. Although, when we looked at Jiangsu Rijiu Optoelectronics (SZSE:003015), it didn't seem to tick all of these boxes.

Return On Capital Employed (ROCE): What Is It?

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 Jiangsu Rijiu Optoelectronics is:

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

0.012 = CN¥12m ÷ (CN¥1.3b - CN¥281m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2023).

Thus, Jiangsu Rijiu Optoelectronics has an ROCE of 1.2%. Ultimately, that's a low return and it under-performs the Electronic industry average of 5.1%.

View our latest analysis for Jiangsu Rijiu Optoelectronics

While the past is not representative of the future, it can be helpful to know how a company has performed historically, which is why we have this chart above. If you want to delve into the historical earnings, revenue and cash flow of Jiangsu Rijiu Optoelectronics, check out these free graphs here.

The Trend Of ROCE

In terms of Jiangsu Rijiu Optoelectronics' historical ROCE movements, the trend isn't fantastic. To be more specific, ROCE has fallen from 18% over the last five years. On the other hand, the company has been employing more capital without a corresponding improvement in sales in the last year, which could suggest these investments are longer term plays. It may take some time before the company starts to see any change in earnings from these investments.

The Bottom Line

In summary, Jiangsu Rijiu Optoelectronics is reinvesting funds back into the business for growth but unfortunately it looks like sales haven't increased much just yet. And investors appear hesitant that the trends will pick up because the stock has fallen 26% in the last three years. In any case, the stock doesn't have these traits of a multi-bagger discussed above, so if that's what you're looking for, we think you'd have more luck elsewhere.

If you want to know some of the risks facing Jiangsu Rijiu Optoelectronics we've found 5 warning signs (3 are concerning!) that you should be aware of before investing here.

While Jiangsu Rijiu Optoelectronics 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.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.
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.