If we want to find a potential multi-bagger, often there are underlying trends that can provide clues. Amongst other things, we'll want to see two things; firstly, a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and secondly, an expansion in the company's amount 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. With that in mind, we've noticed some promising trends at Hayward Holdings (NYSE:HAYW) so let's look a bit deeper.

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 Hayward Holdings:

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

0.07 = US$190m ÷ (US$2.9b - US$214m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to March 2024).

Thus, Hayward Holdings has an ROCE of 7.0%. In absolute terms, that's a low return and it also under-performs the Building industry average of 17%.

Above you can see how the current ROCE for Hayward 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 Hayward Holdings .

So How Is Hayward Holdings' ROCE Trending?

Hayward Holdings has not disappointed with their ROCE growth. More specifically, while the company has kept capital employed relatively flat over the last four years, the ROCE has climbed 76% in that same time. So our take on this is that the business has increased efficiencies to generate these higher returns, all the while not needing to make any additional investments. On that front, things are looking good so it's worth exploring what management has said about growth plans going forward.

In Conclusion...

To bring it all together, Hayward Holdings has done well to increase the returns it's generating from its capital employed. Astute investors may have an opportunity here because the stock has declined 38% in the last three years. So researching this company further and determining whether or not these trends will continue seems justified.

If you'd like to know about the risks facing Hayward Holdings, we've discovered 1 warning sign that you should be aware of.

If you want to search for solid companies with great earnings, check out this free list of companies with good balance sheets and impressive 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