If we want to find a stock that could multiply over the long term, what are the underlying trends we should look for? Typically, we'll want to notice a trend of growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and alongside that, an expanding base of capital employed. Ultimately, this demonstrates that it's a business that is reinvesting profits at increasing rates of return. And in light of that, the trends we're seeing at Sunresin New MaterialsLtd's (SZSE:300487) look very promising so lets take a look.

What Is 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. To calculate this metric for Sunresin New MaterialsLtd, this is the formula:

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

0.21 = CN¥777m ÷ (CN¥5.6b - CN¥1.8b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2023).

Therefore, Sunresin New MaterialsLtd has an ROCE of 21%. That's a fantastic return and not only that, it outpaces the average of 5.7% earned by companies in a similar industry.

In the above chart we have measured Sunresin New MaterialsLtd'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 Sunresin New MaterialsLtd .

The Trend Of ROCE

We like the trends that we're seeing from Sunresin New MaterialsLtd. Over the last five years, returns on capital employed have risen substantially 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 308%. The increasing returns on a growing amount of capital is common amongst multi-baggers and that's why we're impressed.

On a related note, the company's ratio of current liabilities to total assets has decreased to 32%, which basically reduces it's funding from the likes of short-term creditors or suppliers. So shareholders would be pleased that the growth in returns has mostly come from underlying business performance.

What We Can Learn From Sunresin New MaterialsLtd'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 Sunresin New MaterialsLtd has. And with the stock having performed exceptionally well over the last five years, these patterns are being accounted for by investors. In light of that, we think it's worth looking further into this stock because if Sunresin New MaterialsLtd can keep these trends up, it could have a bright future ahead.

One more thing, we've spotted 1 warning sign facing Sunresin New MaterialsLtd that you might find interesting.

Sunresin New MaterialsLtd is not the only stock earning high returns. If you'd like to see more, check out our free list of companies earning high returns on equity with solid fundamentals.

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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.