If we want to find a stock that could multiply over the long term, what are the underlying trends we should look for? 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. Ultimately, this demonstrates that it's a business that is reinvesting profits at increasing rates of return. Speaking of which, we noticed some great changes in Jason Furniture (Hangzhou)Ltd's (SHSE:603816) returns on capital, so let's have a look.

Understanding 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. To calculate this metric for Jason Furniture (Hangzhou)Ltd, this is the formula:

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

0.21 = CN¥2.1b ÷ (CN¥18b - CN¥7.7b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2023).

Therefore, Jason Furniture (Hangzhou)Ltd has an ROCE of 21%. In absolute terms that's a great return and it's even better than the Consumer Durables industry average of 8.3%.

In the above chart we have measured Jason Furniture (Hangzhou)Ltd'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 analyst report for Jason Furniture (Hangzhou)Ltd .

The Trend Of ROCE

Jason Furniture (Hangzhou)Ltd is displaying some positive trends. The numbers show that in the last five years, the returns generated on capital employed have grown considerably to 21%. The company is effectively making more money per dollar of capital used, and it's worth noting that the amount of capital has increased too, by 50%. This can indicate that there's plenty of opportunities to invest capital internally and at ever higher rates, a combination that's common among multi-baggers.

On a side note, we noticed that the improvement in ROCE appears to be partly fueled by an increase in current liabilities. The current liabilities has increased to 44% of total assets, so the business is now more funded by the likes of its suppliers or short-term creditors. And with current liabilities at those levels, that's pretty high.

What We Can Learn From Jason Furniture (Hangzhou)Ltd's ROCE

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 Jason Furniture (Hangzhou)Ltd has. Since the stock has only returned 39% to shareholders over the last five years, the promising fundamentals may not be recognized yet by investors. Given that, we'd look further into this stock in case it has more traits that could make it multiply in the long term.

One more thing to note, we've identified 1 warning sign with Jason Furniture (Hangzhou)Ltd and understanding it should be part of your investment process.

If you want to search for more stocks that have been earning high returns, check out this free list of stocks with solid balance sheets that are also earning high returns on equity.

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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.