If you're not sure where to start when looking for the next multi-bagger, there are a few key trends you should keep an eye out 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. This shows us that it's a compounding machine, able to continually reinvest its earnings back into the business and generate higher returns. Although, when we looked at Shandong Sinocera Functional Material (SZSE:300285), it didn't seem to tick all of these boxes.

Return On Capital Employed (ROCE): What Is It?

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. The formula for this calculation on Shandong Sinocera Functional Material is:

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

0.092 = CN¥691m ÷ (CN¥8.9b - CN¥1.4b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to March 2024).

Therefore, Shandong Sinocera Functional Material has an ROCE of 9.2%. In absolute terms, that's a low return, but it's much better than the Chemicals industry average of 5.5%.

In the above chart we have measured Shandong Sinocera Functional Material'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 Shandong Sinocera Functional Material for free.

So How Is Shandong Sinocera Functional Material's ROCE Trending?

In terms of Shandong Sinocera Functional Material's historical ROCE movements, the trend isn't fantastic. Over the last five years, returns on capital have decreased to 9.2% from 15% five years ago. However, given capital employed and revenue have both increased it appears that the business is currently pursuing growth, at the consequence of short term returns. And if the increased capital generates additional returns, the business, and thus shareholders, will benefit in the long run.

What We Can Learn From Shandong Sinocera Functional Material's ROCE

In summary, despite lower returns in the short term, we're encouraged to see that Shandong Sinocera Functional Material is reinvesting for growth and has higher sales as a result. However, total returns to shareholders over the last five years have been flat, which could indicate these growth trends potentially aren't accounted for yet by investors. So we think it'd be worthwhile to look further into this stock given the trends look encouraging.

If you're still interested in Shandong Sinocera Functional Material it's worth checking out our FREE intrinsic value approximation for 300285 to see if it's trading at an attractive price in other respects.

For those who like to invest in solid companies, check out this free list of companies with solid balance sheets and 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.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com