If we want to find a potential multi-bagger, often there are underlying trends that can provide clues. Typically, we'll want to notice a trend of growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and alongside that, an expanding base 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. So on that note, Shenzhen Rapoo Technology (SZSE:002577) looks quite promising in regards to its trends of return on capital.

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. Analysts use this formula to calculate it for Shenzhen Rapoo Technology:

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

0.0015 = CN¥1.8m ÷ (CN¥1.3b - CN¥74m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to March 2024).

Thus, Shenzhen Rapoo Technology has an ROCE of 0.2%. In absolute terms, that's a low return and it also under-performs the Tech industry average of 5.3%.

While the past is not representative of the future, it can be helpful to know how a company has performed historically, which is why we have this chart above. If you'd like to look at how Shenzhen Rapoo Technology has performed in the past in other metrics, you can view this free graph of Shenzhen Rapoo Technology's past earnings, revenue and cash flow.

How Are Returns Trending?

Shenzhen Rapoo Technology has broken into the black (profitability) and we're sure it's a sight for sore eyes. The company was generating losses five years ago, but has managed to turn it around and as we saw earlier is now earning 0.2%, which is always encouraging. On top of that, what's interesting is that the amount of capital being employed has remained steady, so the business hasn't needed to put any additional money to work to generate these higher returns. With no noticeable increase in capital employed, it's worth knowing what the company plans on doing going forward in regards to reinvesting and growing the business. After all, a company can only become a long term multi-bagger if it continually reinvests in itself at high rates of return.

Our Take On Shenzhen Rapoo Technology's ROCE

To bring it all together, Shenzhen Rapoo Technology has done well to increase the returns it's generating from its capital employed. Investors may not be impressed by the favorable underlying trends yet because over the last five years the stock has only returned 13% to shareholders. So with that in mind, we think the stock deserves further research.

Shenzhen Rapoo Technology does have some risks though, and we've spotted 1 warning sign for Shenzhen Rapoo Technology that you might be interested in.

While Shenzhen Rapoo Technology isn't earning the highest return, check out this free list of companies that are earning high returns on equity with solid balance sheets.

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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.