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. Basically this means that a company has profitable initiatives that it can continue to reinvest in, which is a trait of a compounding machine. Speaking of which, we noticed some great changes in Allwinnertech TechnologyLtd's (SZSE:300458) returns on capital, so let's have a look.

Understanding 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. Analysts use this formula to calculate it for Allwinnertech TechnologyLtd:

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

0.0058 = CN¥17m ÷ (CN¥3.4b - CN¥478m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2023).

Therefore, Allwinnertech TechnologyLtd has an ROCE of 0.6%. In absolute terms, that's a low return and it also under-performs the Semiconductor industry average of 5.8%.

In the above chart we have measured Allwinnertech TechnologyLtd's prior ROCE against its prior performance, but the future is arguably more important. If you'd like, you can check out the forecasts from the analysts covering Allwinnertech TechnologyLtd for free.

So How Is Allwinnertech TechnologyLtd's ROCE Trending?

Even though ROCE is still low in absolute terms, it's good to see it's heading in the right direction. The numbers show that in the last five years, the returns generated on capital employed have grown considerably to 0.6%. Basically the business is earning more per dollar of capital invested and in addition to that, 32% more capital is being employed now too. So we're very much inspired by what we're seeing at Allwinnertech TechnologyLtd thanks to its ability to profitably reinvest capital.

The Key Takeaway

A company that is growing its returns on capital and can consistently reinvest in itself is a highly sought after trait, and that's what Allwinnertech TechnologyLtd has. Since the stock has returned a solid 46% to shareholders over the last five years, it's fair to say investors are beginning to recognize these changes. Therefore, we think it would be worth your time to check if these trends are going to continue.

On a final note, we've found 2 warning signs for Allwinnertech TechnologyLtd that we think you should be aware of.

While Allwinnertech TechnologyLtd 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.