What are the early trends we should look for to identify a stock that could multiply in value over the long term? Ideally, a business will show two trends; firstly a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and secondly, an increasing amount of capital employed. Ultimately, this demonstrates that it's a business that is reinvesting profits at increasing rates of return. That's why when we briefly looked at Anhui Gujing Distillery's (SZSE:000596) ROCE trend, we were very happy with what we saw.

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. To calculate this metric for Anhui Gujing Distillery, this is the formula:

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

0.26 = CN¥5.8b ÷ (CN¥35b - CN¥13b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2023).

Therefore, Anhui Gujing Distillery has an ROCE of 26%. That's a fantastic return and not only that, it outpaces the average of 13% earned by companies in a similar industry.

In the above chart we have measured Anhui Gujing Distillery'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 analyst report for Anhui Gujing Distillery .

The Trend Of ROCE

It's hard not to be impressed by Anhui Gujing Distillery's returns on capital. Over the past five years, ROCE has remained relatively flat at around 26% and the business has deployed 186% more capital into its operations. With returns that high, it's great that the business can continually reinvest its money at such appealing rates of return. If these trends can continue, it wouldn't surprise us if the company became a multi-bagger.

The Bottom Line On Anhui Gujing Distillery's ROCE

In summary, we're delighted to see that Anhui Gujing Distillery has been compounding returns by reinvesting at consistently high rates of return, as these are common traits of a multi-bagger. On top of that, the stock has rewarded shareholders with a remarkable 144% return to those who've held over the last five years. So while the positive underlying trends may be accounted for by investors, we still think this stock is worth looking into further.

One more thing: We've identified 2 warning signs with Anhui Gujing Distillery (at least 1 which is a bit unpleasant) , and understanding these would certainly be useful.

If you'd like to see other companies earning high returns, check out our free list of companies earning high returns with solid balance sheets 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.