If you're looking for a multi-bagger, there's a few things to keep an eye out for. Ideally, a business will show two trends; firstly a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and secondly, an increasing amount of capital employed. If you see this, it typically means it's a company with a great business model and plenty of profitable reinvestment opportunities. In light of that, when we looked at Yue Yuen Industrial (Holdings) (HKG:551) and its ROCE trend, we weren't exactly thrilled.

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. Analysts use this formula to calculate it for Yue Yuen Industrial (Holdings):

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

0.063 = US$336m ÷ (US$7.4b - US$2.0b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to March 2024).

So, Yue Yuen Industrial (Holdings) has an ROCE of 6.3%. In absolute terms, that's a low return and it also under-performs the Luxury industry average of 11%.

Above you can see how the current ROCE for Yue Yuen Industrial (Holdings) compares to its prior returns on capital, but there's only so much you can tell from the past. If you're interested, you can view the analysts predictions in our free analyst report for Yue Yuen Industrial (Holdings) .

So How Is Yue Yuen Industrial (Holdings)'s ROCE Trending?

Things have been pretty stable at Yue Yuen Industrial (Holdings), with its capital employed and returns on that capital staying somewhat the same for the last five years. This tells us the company isn't reinvesting in itself, so it's plausible that it's past the growth phase. So don't be surprised if Yue Yuen Industrial (Holdings) doesn't end up being a multi-bagger in a few years time. That probably explains why Yue Yuen Industrial (Holdings) has been paying out 63% of its earnings as dividends to shareholders. If the company is in fact lacking growth opportunities, that's one of the viable alternatives for the money.

The Key Takeaway

In a nutshell, Yue Yuen Industrial (Holdings) has been trudging along with the same returns from the same amount of capital over the last five years. And investors appear hesitant that the trends will pick up because the stock has fallen 29% in the last five years. Therefore based on the analysis done in this article, we don't think Yue Yuen Industrial (Holdings) has the makings of a multi-bagger.

Like most companies, Yue Yuen Industrial (Holdings) does come with some risks, and we've found 1 warning sign that you should be aware of.

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