Did you know there are some financial metrics that can provide clues of a potential multi-bagger? Ideally, a business will show two trends; firstly a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and secondly, an increasing amount of capital employed. This shows us that it's a compounding machine, able to continually reinvest its earnings back into the business and generate higher returns. However, after investigating Flat Glass Group (HKG:6865), we don't think it's current trends fit the mold of a multi-bagger.

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. To calculate this metric for Flat Glass Group, this is the formula:

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

0.094 = CN¥3.0b ÷ (CN¥41b - CN¥9.1b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2023).

Thus, Flat Glass Group has an ROCE of 9.4%. In absolute terms, that's a low return but it's around the Semiconductor industry average of 12%.

Check out our latest analysis for Flat Glass Group

In the above chart we have measured Flat Glass Group's prior ROCE against its prior performance, but the future is arguably more important. If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free report for Flat Glass Group.

What Can We Tell From Flat Glass Group's ROCE Trend?

In terms of Flat Glass Group's historical ROCE trend, it doesn't exactly demand attention. The company has employed 584% more capital in the last five years, and the returns on that capital have remained stable at 9.4%. Given the company has increased the amount of capital employed, it appears the investments that have been made simply don't provide a high return on capital.

What We Can Learn From Flat Glass Group's ROCE

Long story short, while Flat Glass Group has been reinvesting its capital, the returns that it's generating haven't increased. Investors must think there's better things to come because the stock has knocked it out of the park, delivering a 449% gain to shareholders who have held over the last five years. However, unless these underlying trends turn more positive, we wouldn't get our hopes up too high.

On a final note, we found 2 warning signs for Flat Glass Group (1 doesn't sit too well with us) you should be aware of.

While Flat Glass Group 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.