Did you know there are some financial metrics that can provide clues of a potential multi-bagger? Typically, we'll want to notice a trend of growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and alongside that, an expanding base 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. However, after briefly looking over the numbers, we don't think Carter's (NYSE:CRI) has the makings of a multi-bagger going forward, but let's have a look at why that may be.

Understanding Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)

Just to clarify if you're unsure, ROCE is a metric for evaluating how much pre-tax income (in percentage terms) a company earns on the capital invested in its business. Analysts use this formula to calculate it for Carter's:

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

0.17 = US$314m ÷ (US$2.3b - US$464m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2023).

So, Carter's has an ROCE of 17%. In absolute terms, that's a satisfactory return, but compared to the Luxury industry average of 13% it's much better.

See our latest analysis for Carter's

Above you can see how the current ROCE for Carter's compares to its prior returns on capital, but there's only so much you can tell from the past. If you'd like, you can check out the forecasts from the analysts covering Carter's here for free.

So How Is Carter's' ROCE Trending?

Over the past five years, Carter's' ROCE and capital employed have both remained mostly flat. This tells us the company isn't reinvesting in itself, so it's plausible that it's past the growth phase. So don't be surprised if Carter's doesn't end up being a multi-bagger in a few years time. This probably explains why Carter's is paying out 42% of its income to shareholders in the form of dividends. Unless businesses have highly compelling growth opportunities, they'll typically return some money to shareholders.

The Key Takeaway

In a nutshell, Carter's has been trudging along with the same returns from the same amount of capital over the last five years. And in the last five years, the stock has given away 17% so the market doesn't look too hopeful on these trends strengthening any time soon. Therefore based on the analysis done in this article, we don't think Carter's has the makings of a multi-bagger.

If you want to continue researching Carter's, you might be interested to know about the 3 warning signs that our analysis has discovered.

While Carter's 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.